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Population genetic structure and species displacement during range expansion of invasive geckos

Short, Kristen
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1289840091

Abstract Details

2010, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Biological Sciences.
Biological invasions have received considerable attention because of the increasing frequency with which they occur and the damage they can inflict on ecosystems. However, invasions are ideal study systems not only because of the insight they provide about management and preservation of biodiversity, but also because they can be used to answer a variety of ecological and evolutionary questions. In this series of studies I used the invasions of tropical geckos in urban habitats to address questions about range expansion and species replacement during invasion of an occupied niche. I used both the invasion of A-clones and replacement of B-clones of Lepidodactylus lugubris in Hawaii and the invasion of Hemidactylus mabouia and replacement of H. garnotii in Florida as models to test hypotheses about the process of range expansion and species replacement. To test hypotheses about the mechanisms and consequences of range expansion at multiple spatial scales, I developed 12 novel microsatellite markers in H. mabouia and used them to determine patterns of gene flow at both a very fine scale (tens of meters) and at a very large scale (statewide). To test hypotheses about species replacement, I used both laboratory studies and field studies to document mechanisms and timing of species replacement during invasion. In L. lugubris, I used controlled laboratory experiments to determine the behavioral mechanisms underlying the advantage of A-clones in the human environment. In H. mabouia, I used field census data from many locations in Florida to determine the rate at which H. garnotii was displaced during invasion. I found that dispersal was limited at a very fine spatial scale in H. mabouia, and that population structure arises at the leading edge of range expansion but erodes as the populations approach migration-drift equilibrium. I also demonstrated that human-mediated dispersal at the statewide scale plays a role in the rapid range expansion of H. mabouia. These findings demonstrate the importance of looking for population structure at multiple spatial scales, and also suggest that drift may be an important evolutionary force at small scales, despite higher levels of gene flow at larger scales. My studies of species replacement showed that it can occur very quickly, and that behavioral mechanisms of replacement likely contribute to rapid displacement of resident species during invasion. Together, these findings represent one of very few studies of range expansion and species replacement in terrestrial systems.
Kenneth Petren, PhD (Committee Chair)
Eric Maurer, PhD (Committee Member)
Stephen Matter, PhD (Committee Member)
Michal Polak, PhD (Committee Member)
George Uetz, PhD (Committee Member)
Gisela Garcia-Ramos, PhD (Committee Member)
113 p.
Ecology
invasive species; microsatellite; range expansion; genetic structure; boldness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Short, K. (2010). Population genetic structure and species displacement during range expansion of invasive geckos [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1289840091

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Short, Kristen. Population genetic structure and species displacement during range expansion of invasive geckos. 2010. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1289840091.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Short, Kristen. "Population genetic structure and species displacement during range expansion of invasive geckos." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1289840091

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1289840091
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© 2010, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Population genetic structure and species displacement during range expansion of invasive geckos by Kristen Short is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.