Spatial Replication Is Important for Developing Landscape Genetic Inferences for a Wetland Salamander.

Area of Science:

• Landscape genetics
• Conservation biology
• Amphibian ecology

Background:

• Habitat fragmentation threatens wildlife gene flow, necessitating effective conservation strategies.
• Resistance surfaces are key tools for modeling landscape connectivity but show inconsistencies across studies.
• Replicated landscape genetic analyses are vital for robustly understanding environmental influences on gene flow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct replicated landscape genetic analyses for the four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) across five sites in Tennessee and Kentucky.
• To test hypotheses on how landscape features (e.g., canopy cover) influence gene flow in a threatened amphibian.
• To determine the appropriate spatial scales for modeling landscape features affecting gene flow.

Main Methods:

• Utilized landscape genetic analyses across five distinct study sites.
• Applied resistance surface modeling to assess gene flow patterns.
• Tested various landscape features and spatial scales influencing connectivity for Hemidactylium scutatum.

Main Results:

• Found concordance in the importance of forest cover and topography for gene flow, but also landscape-specific differences.
• Observed discordance in the effective scale at which different landscape features influence gene flow.
• Identified flat, moist forest areas not bisected by roads as critical for Hemidactylium scutatum.

Conclusions:

• Replicated studies are essential for identifying consistent and variable drivers of gene flow across landscapes.
• Conservation of moist forest habitats, particularly those lacking road fragmentation, is critical for four-toed salamander populations.
• Understanding scale-dependent effects of landscape features improves the accuracy of connectivity models for conservation planning.