Landscape genetics and limiting factors

Background/Question/Methods

The detectability of landscape genetic relationships depends on whether or not each landscape feature limits movement and gene flow in a given landscape.  We used spatially explicit, individual-based simulation modeling to quantify statistical detectability of landscape genetic relationships as functions of habitat area, fragmentation and contrast in resistance to gene flow between habitat and non-habitat.

Results/Conclusions

We found that landscape genetic effects are often not detectable when habitat extent is very high, habitat fragmentation very low, or both. In such situations landscape structure does not limit gene flow. We found that contrast in resistance values between habitat and non-habitat interacts with habitat extent and fragmentation to affect detectability of landscape genetic relationships. Our results provide guidance as to under what conditions gene flow will be limited by landscape structure sufficiently to affect genetic differentiation.