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Monitoring spatiotemporal patterns in the genetic diversity of a European butterfly species

Greenwell, Matthew P. ; Botham, Marc S. ; Bruford, Michael W. ; Day, John C. ; Gibbs, Melanie ; Høye, Toke T. ; Maes, Dirk ; Middlebrook, Ian ; Musche, Martin and Pettersson, Lars B. LU orcid , et al. (2025) In Insect Conservation and Diversity 18(1). p.80-94
Abstract

The importance of genetic diversity has been recognised by the Convention on Biological Diversity but attempts at monitoring or improving the genetic diversity of populations have been minimal. Here, we investigate changes over time in the genetic diversity of a wild insect species, Maniola jurtina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and present a large-scale investigation into contemporary spatial genetic diversity. Using microsatellite markers, we calculate multiple measures of genetic diversity and divergence for M. jurtina populations over 8 years in the UK and compare these findings with long-term abundance trends. We also conduct a large-scale spatial analysis into the genetic diversity and population structuring of M. jurtina across... (More)

The importance of genetic diversity has been recognised by the Convention on Biological Diversity but attempts at monitoring or improving the genetic diversity of populations have been minimal. Here, we investigate changes over time in the genetic diversity of a wild insect species, Maniola jurtina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and present a large-scale investigation into contemporary spatial genetic diversity. Using microsatellite markers, we calculate multiple measures of genetic diversity and divergence for M. jurtina populations over 8 years in the UK and compare these findings with long-term abundance trends. We also conduct a large-scale spatial analysis into the genetic diversity and population structuring of M. jurtina across Europe. All UK populations sampled have high levels of gene flow and genetic diversity, with genetic diversity stable over time. Across Europe, we find some population structuring between populations in the UK and the European mainland, suggesting restricted geneflow between the two regions. The monitoring of a wild species' genetic diversity is an achievable aim, and one that could be carried out for many species, particularly Lepidoptera. Future approaches may aim to develop higher resolution genetic markers and cover a wider range of species. The use of abundance data offers additional insight, and we find that concurrent, dedicated genetic monitoring can provide effective tracking of biodiversity trends.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
genetic diversity, Maniola jurtina, meadow brown, microsatellites, monitoring
in
Insect Conservation and Diversity
volume
18
issue
1
pages
15 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85207314246
ISSN
1752-458X
DOI
10.1111/icad.12786
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Insect Conservation and Diversity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Entomological Society.
id
d92173b4-d2fb-4ad0-a1d1-01431a477d48
date added to LUP
2024-10-31 02:20:57
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:38:19
@article{d92173b4-d2fb-4ad0-a1d1-01431a477d48,
  abstract     = {{<p>The importance of genetic diversity has been recognised by the Convention on Biological Diversity but attempts at monitoring or improving the genetic diversity of populations have been minimal. Here, we investigate changes over time in the genetic diversity of a wild insect species, Maniola jurtina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and present a large-scale investigation into contemporary spatial genetic diversity. Using microsatellite markers, we calculate multiple measures of genetic diversity and divergence for M. jurtina populations over 8 years in the UK and compare these findings with long-term abundance trends. We also conduct a large-scale spatial analysis into the genetic diversity and population structuring of M. jurtina across Europe. All UK populations sampled have high levels of gene flow and genetic diversity, with genetic diversity stable over time. Across Europe, we find some population structuring between populations in the UK and the European mainland, suggesting restricted geneflow between the two regions. The monitoring of a wild species' genetic diversity is an achievable aim, and one that could be carried out for many species, particularly Lepidoptera. Future approaches may aim to develop higher resolution genetic markers and cover a wider range of species. The use of abundance data offers additional insight, and we find that concurrent, dedicated genetic monitoring can provide effective tracking of biodiversity trends.</p>}},
  author       = {{Greenwell, Matthew P. and Botham, Marc S. and Bruford, Michael W. and Day, John C. and Gibbs, Melanie and Høye, Toke T. and Maes, Dirk and Middlebrook, Ian and Musche, Martin and Pettersson, Lars B. and Roy, David B. and Settele, Josef and Stefanescu, Constantí and Teder, Tiit and Thomas, Nia E. and Watts, Kevin and Oliver, Tom H.}},
  issn         = {{1752-458X}},
  keywords     = {{genetic diversity; Maniola jurtina; meadow brown; microsatellites; monitoring}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{80--94}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Insect Conservation and Diversity}},
  title        = {{Monitoring spatiotemporal patterns in the genetic diversity of a European butterfly species}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/icad.12786}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/icad.12786}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}