The Irish Damselfly: identifying population genetic structure and optimising habitat management for an iconic Irish species

破碎景观的结构如何影响物种的动态和持久性是自然保护中最重要的问题之一。当个体可以分散在不同的片段之间时，就会产生一个元种群，而随后的斑块种群结构和殖民化-灭绝过程可能会使有关保护优先事项的决策复杂化。关键参数不仅是有效种群（Ne），低于有效种群（Ne），种群就无法生存，而且还存在景观结构的临界阈值2。除了影响破碎化景观中种群生存能力的生态和环境因素外，还有种群规模小和基因流动受限造成的遗传因素。蜻蜓（蜻蜓和豆娘）是最濒危的淡水动物类群之一。100年前在英国繁殖的7种豆娘中，有2种现在已经灭绝，而剩下的5种中有3种分布范围非常有限。其中之一，爱尔兰豆蝇或爱尔兰/新月蓝（Coenagrion lunulatum）是在低营养状况的湿地，小湖泊，沼泽和沼泽中发现的殖民地，因此自然呈现出斑块状的种群结构。该物种被IUCN列为爱尔兰的易危物种，并且被认为正在减少，富营养化，栖息地丧失，从长远来看，气候变化是最重大的威胁。先前的研究表明，带有漂浮植被床和缺乏鱼类的小而贫瘠的湖泊是种群发生的重要因素3，虽然爱尔兰可行的殖民地数量目前尚不清楚，但调查支持种群作为超种群功能的理论（蜻蜓爱尔兰2000-2004和蜻蜓爱尔兰2019-2024）。此外，除了爱尔兰境内的超种群结构外，该物种还具有有趣的国际分布；由于其地理位置和地质历史，爱尔兰的物种比英国和欧洲大陆少。然而，爱尔兰豆娘是一个罕见的例外，因为它在爱尔兰被发现，但不是整个英国，它的其余分布覆盖了北欧和远至中国的东方。在主要的欧洲人群中，它发生在芬兰、荷兰和法国。该项目将有三个主要组成部分：1)确定爱尔兰豆娘与欧洲其他种群的系统发育关系；2)调查爱尔兰物种种群遗传学（连通性，有效种群规模，近交水平等）；3)开发综合模型，结合遗传连通性措施提供的元种群动态和栖息地适宜性，目标是为保护行动提供信息。预计这个项目将涉及与芬兰和法国的伙伴进行国际实地工作。该项目在遗传学、基因组学、生物信息学、进化分析和一系列生态建模技术方面提供了出色的培训机会，同时还提供了广泛的核心和通用技能发展计划，这是Quadrat DTP培训计划的核心。该学生将成为一个充满活力和活力的多学科研究生社区的一员，并有机会为我们对生物地理学，进化生物学和淡水生态学的基本问题的理解做出重大贡献。

How the structure of a fragmented landscape influences the dynamics and persistence of a species is one of the most important questions in conservation1. Where individuals can disperse between fragments a metapopulation can result, and the subsequent patchy population structure and colonization-extinction processes can complicate decisions regarding conservation priorities. Key parameters are not only the effective population (Ne) below which the population is not viable, but there will also be critical thresholds for landscape structure2. In addition to the ecological and environmental factors which influence the viability of populations living in fragmented landscapes there are also genetic factors caused by small populations sizes and restricted geneflow. The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are among the most endangered freshwater faunal taxa. Of the seven Coenagrionid damselflies that bred in the UK a hundred years ago, two are now extinct, while three of the remaining five have highly restricted distributions. One of these, the Irish Damselfly or Irish/Crescent Bluet (Coenagrion lunulatum) is found in colonies in low nutrient status wetlands, small lakes, fens and cutover bogs, and so naturally exhibits a patchy population structure. The species is IUCN listed as Vulnerable in Ireland, and is thought to be in decline, with eutrophication, habitat loss and in the longer term, climate change being the most significant threats. Previous work has shown that small unenriched lakes with beds of floating vegetation and an absence of fish are important factors for population occurrence3, and while the number of viable colonies in Ireland is currently unknown, surveys support the theory that the populations function as a metapopulation (Dragonfly Ireland 2000-2004 and Dragonfly Ireland 2019-2024). In addition, to the metapopulation structure within Ireland, the species also has an interesting international distribution; due to its geographical position and geological history, Ireland typically has fewer species present compared to Britain and Continental Europe. However, the Irish Damselfly is a rare exception to this as it is found in Ireland, but not throughout Britain, and the remainder of its distribution covers northern Europe and as far east as China. Within main European populations, it occurs in Finland, the Netherlands, and France. This project will have three main components: 1) To determine the phylogenetic relationship of the Irish Damselfly to the other populations across Europe 2) To investigate the species population genetics (connectivity, effective population size, levels of inbreeding, etc.) within Ireland3) To develop integrative models combining meta-population dynamics and habitat suitability informed by genetic connectivity measures, with a goal of informing conservation actions.It is anticipated that this project will involve International field-work with partners in Finland and France.The project offers outstanding training opportunities in genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, evolutionary analyses and a range of ecological modelling techniques, coupled with the programme of broad core and generic skills development that is central to the Quadrat DTP training programme. The student will become part of a dynamic and vibrant multidisciplinary postgraduate community, and have the opportunity to make a major contribution to our understanding of fundamental issues in biogeography, evolutionary biology, and freshwater ecology.