Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
Volume 58, Issue 6, Pages 909-922Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10344-012-0634-2
Keywords
Genetic diversity; Genetic structure; Microsatellites; Habitat fragmentation; Habitat loss; Pine marten; Martes martes
Funding
- French Hunting and Wildlife Agency (ONCFS)
- Biometry and Evolutionary Laboratory (LBBE) of the university of Lyon
- Conseil General de l'Isere
- Conseil General des Ardennes
- Conseil Regional de Champagne-Ardennes
- Communaute de communes de l'Argonne Ardennaise
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Although typically considered as a forest specialist species, the European pine marten (Martes martes) is an example of a number of species that have recently been found to also live in fragmented landscapes. Considering that habitat fragmentation and loss is a major threat to the persistence of mammal species in such landscapes, we investigated the association between habitat characteristics and genetic diversity across four pine marten populations occupying contrasting landscapes in France with different degrees of forest availability and fragmentation. Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods evidenced the presence of three genetic clusters and isolation by distance between populations was found at the national scale. We found an overall moderate level of genetic variability, but no evidence of a bottleneck or deficit in heterozygosity in any of the populations. No pattern of isolation by distance was found within the populations, except in the one located in the Pyrenean Mountains which appeared partly isolated from other continental populations and also showed a lower level of genetic diversity. No obvious association between the pattern of genetic variability and the pattern of forested habitat characteristics was found. We discuss the possibility that pine martens show greater behavioural plasticity than typically expected allowing them to adapt to different habitat types.
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