DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Landscape Correlates of Population Genetic Structure in Three Vertebrate Species

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A principal goal of conservation biology is the preservation of a population's evolutionary potential, frequently measured as genetic diversity. Conducting surveys of genetic diversity in rare species, however, may be difficult due to sampling limitations or high costs of developing and screening molecular markers. Because an organism's environment can greatly influence patterns of genetic variation, it is logical to ask if there are features of the physical landscape that can be used as surrogates for population genetic structure. Similarly, can the population genetic structure of one species be inferred from that of phylogenetically or ecologically related species? We are using microsatellite markers, GIS techniques and multivariate and spatial statistics to explore potential landscape surrogates of genetic structure in a comparative framework of three vertebrate species inhabiting lakes, ponds and meadows in northern California. I seek to understand the relationship between landscape structure and genetic structure, as well as how these interactions vary among species with different, yet related, evolutionary and natural histories. The broader impacts of this novel approach will felt through an integration of population genetics, landscape ecology and community biology that has direct implications for applied management practices.