Imperial College London
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ProfessorVincentSavolainen

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park)

Professor of Organismic Biology
 
 
 
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Contact

 

v.savolainen CV

 
 
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Assistant

 

Ms Elisabeth Ahlstrom +44 (0)20 7594 2207

 
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Location

 

N.1-17MunroSilwood Park

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Dures:2020:10.1111/acv.12562,
author = {Dures, SG and Carbone, C and Savolainen, V and Maude, G and Gottelli, D},
doi = {10.1111/acv.12562},
journal = {Animal Conservation},
pages = {502--515},
title = {Ecology rather than people restrict gene flow in OkavangoKalahari lions},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acv.12562},
volume = {23},
year = {2020}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Reduced gene exchange between animal populations may be an indicator of the effects of anthropogenic fragmentation or it may reflect natural gradients in the landscape that can also result in population fragmentation. It can be difficult, therefore, to disentangle the role of local ecology from anthropogenic factors, creating a risk of attributing a lack of gene flow as being due to human activities, leading to illinformed management decisions. Here, we test the ecological and anthropogenic factors driving population differentiation and show how the relative influence of such effects can be identified. Using Bayesian clustering and a causal modelling approach, we combine genetic and remote sensing data to disentangle the confounding influences of ecological and anthropogenic fragmentation. We investigate a region where such confusion may arise; in and around the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. Specifically, we used 20 microsatellites to investigate the genetic structuring of African lions Panthera leo occupying a landscape dominated by two very different environments, the wetland Okavango and the surrounding Kalahari Desert. We find that differences in ecology, rather than anthropogenic barriers, are driving genetic differences in the population and that despite their ability to disperse long distances these lion populations are differentiated into two distinct genetic groups, one inhabiting the wetland Okavango Delta and the other one inhabiting the surrounding dryland Kalahari, divided by an apparently unobstructed boundary. The genetic structure observed could easily have been misinterpreted as a response to anthropogenic disturbance reducing gene flow. This reinforces the need to consider nonanthropogenic hypotheses, such as ecological differences between habitats, when assessing possible mechanisms of gene flow and their implications for population management. As anthropogenic pressure increases in this region, we recommend conservation managers consider
AU  - Dures,SG
AU  - Carbone,C
AU  - Savolainen,V
AU  - Maude,G
AU  - Gottelli,D
DO  - 10.1111/acv.12562
EP  - 515
PY  - 2020///
SN  - 1367-9430
SP  - 502
TI  - Ecology rather than people restrict gene flow in OkavangoKalahari lions
T2  - Animal Conservation
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acv.12562
UR  - https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acv.12562
VL  - 23
ER  -
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