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Combined Evidence Reveals the Origin of a Rapid Range Expansion Despite Retained Genetic Diversity and a Weak Founder Effect

Bergman, Nora M. ; Lehikoinen, Petteri LU orcid ; Kluen, Edward ; Bensch, Staffan LU orcid ; Lo Cascio Sætre, Camilla ; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice LU ; Fossøy, Frode ; Procházka, Petr ; Smith, William J. and Stokke, Bård G. , et al. (2025) In Molecular Ecology 34(19).
Abstract

Many species are currently experiencing range shifts in response to changing environmental conditions with potentially serious genetic consequences. Repeated founder events and strong genetic drift are expected to erode genetic variation at the range front, reducing adaptive potential and slowing or even halting the expansion. However, the severity of these consequences for common and highly mobile species undergoing environment-driven range shifts (c.f. invasions) is less clear. Here, we combined historical observations and contemporary movement data of the common reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) with genomic evidence from across its European breeding range to (1) infer the origin and (2) quantify the genetic consequences of a... (More)

Many species are currently experiencing range shifts in response to changing environmental conditions with potentially serious genetic consequences. Repeated founder events and strong genetic drift are expected to erode genetic variation at the range front, reducing adaptive potential and slowing or even halting the expansion. However, the severity of these consequences for common and highly mobile species undergoing environment-driven range shifts (c.f. invasions) is less clear. Here, we combined historical observations and contemporary movement data of the common reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) with genomic evidence from across its European breeding range to (1) infer the origin and (2) quantify the genetic consequences of a recent and rapid northward range expansion. Although there were no reductions in levels of nucleotide diversity or allelic richness, nor a signal of founder effect in the directionality index (ψ), our combined dataset approach was able to infer an expansion origin from the southwest. Furthermore, we found that private allelic richness retained a slight but significant linear decline along the colonisation route. These results suggest that high dispersal capabilities can allow even philopatric species to avoid the loss of genetic diversity during rapid range expansions. Nevertheless, if multiple lines of evidence enable identification of an expansion pathway, we may still detect genetic signals of expansion.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
birds, phylogeography, population genomics, range shifts
in
Molecular Ecology
volume
34
issue
19
article number
e70077
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:40827605
  • scopus:105013643130
ISSN
0962-1083
DOI
10.1111/mec.70077
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
14b05975-76e1-4dde-9321-d292211aea5d
date added to LUP
2025-11-19 11:10:01
date last changed
2025-11-20 03:00:02
@article{14b05975-76e1-4dde-9321-d292211aea5d,
  abstract     = {{<p>Many species are currently experiencing range shifts in response to changing environmental conditions with potentially serious genetic consequences. Repeated founder events and strong genetic drift are expected to erode genetic variation at the range front, reducing adaptive potential and slowing or even halting the expansion. However, the severity of these consequences for common and highly mobile species undergoing environment-driven range shifts (c.f. invasions) is less clear. Here, we combined historical observations and contemporary movement data of the common reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) with genomic evidence from across its European breeding range to (1) infer the origin and (2) quantify the genetic consequences of a recent and rapid northward range expansion. Although there were no reductions in levels of nucleotide diversity or allelic richness, nor a signal of founder effect in the directionality index (ψ), our combined dataset approach was able to infer an expansion origin from the southwest. Furthermore, we found that private allelic richness retained a slight but significant linear decline along the colonisation route. These results suggest that high dispersal capabilities can allow even philopatric species to avoid the loss of genetic diversity during rapid range expansions. Nevertheless, if multiple lines of evidence enable identification of an expansion pathway, we may still detect genetic signals of expansion.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bergman, Nora M. and Lehikoinen, Petteri and Kluen, Edward and Bensch, Staffan and Lo Cascio Sætre, Camilla and Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice and Fossøy, Frode and Procházka, Petr and Smith, William J. and Stokke, Bård G. and Primmer, Craig R. and Thorogood, Rose and Rönkä, Katja}},
  issn         = {{0962-1083}},
  keywords     = {{birds; phylogeography; population genomics; range shifts}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{19}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Molecular Ecology}},
  title        = {{Combined Evidence Reveals the Origin of a Rapid Range Expansion Despite Retained Genetic Diversity and a Weak Founder Effect}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.70077}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/mec.70077}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}