10.5061/DRYAD.P2J15
Sackett, Loren C.
University of Colorado Boulder
Collinge, Sharon K.
University of Colorado Boulder
Martin, Andrew P.
University of Colorado Boulder
Data from: Do pathogens reduce genetic diversity of their hosts? Variable
effects of sylvatic plague in black-tailed prairie dogs
Dryad
dataset
2013
Sciuridae
prairie dogs
Cynomys ludovicianus
Rodentia
plague
present
recolonization
2013-01-25T19:31:58Z
2013-01-25T19:31:58Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.12270
88469 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Introduced diseases can cause dramatic declines in—and even the loss
of—natural populations. Extirpations may be followed by low recolonization
rates, leading to inbreeding and a loss of genetic variation, with
consequences on population viability. Conversely, extirpations may create
vacant habitat patches that individuals from multiple source populations
can colonize, potentially leading to an influx of variation. We tested
these alternative hypotheses by sampling 15 colonies in a prairie dog
metapopulation during 7 years that encompassed an outbreak of sylvatic
plague, providing the opportunity to monitor genetic diversity before,
during and after the outbreak. Analysis of nine microsatellite loci
revealed that within the metapopulation, there was no change in diversity.
However, within extirpated colonies, patterns varied: In half of the
colonies, allelic richness after recovery was less than the preplague
conditions, and in the other half, richness was greater than the preplague
conditions. Finally, analysis of variation within individuals revealed
that prairie dogs present in recolonized colonies had higher
heterozygosity than those present before plague. We confirmed plague
survivorship in six founders; these individuals had significantly higher
heterozygosity than expected by chance. Collectively, our results suggest
that high immigration rates can maintain genetic variation at a regional
scale despite simultaneous extirpations in spatially proximate
populations. Thus, virulent diseases may increase genetic diversity of
host populations by creating vacant habitats that allow an influx of
genetic diversity. Furthermore, even highly virulent diseases may not
eliminate individuals randomly; rather, they may selectively remove the
most inbred individuals.
genotypes_9loci_forDRYADThis is a Genepop-formatted file of black-tailed
prairie dog genotypes at 9 microsatellite loci. Samples were collected in
Boulder, Colorado, genotyped on a Licor 4200 gel sequencer and analyzed in
the program GeneImagIR. The top 2 lines are comments, and the next 9 are
locus names. Individuals that produced plague antibodies and survived
until the next year are denoted with an asterisk.
Boulder Colorado