Dispersal ability and its consequences for population genetic differentiation and diversification

How animal mobility affects genetic diversity

31 August 2022

Populations of animals that can’t move very far tend to be more genetically diverse and more likely to form new species than those that can travel further afield.

The ability of some animals to move far from their birthplace is known to affect the genetic variation of a species in different locations. In contrast, less-mobile animals are more likely to produce new species due to greater genetic variation between isolated communities. But a precise understanding of how mobility affects population genetic structure has been lacking.

Now, a team led by researchers from University of La Laguna has found positive relationships between genetic structure and diversification for spiders and beetles across the Canary Islands.

The team sampled mitochondrial DNA from wingless and winged beetles and spiders with and without balloons. The results point to mobility being a critical factor in determining how genetically diverse a species is across regions.

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References

1. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 289, 20220489 (2022). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0489