Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity

Abstract Genetic connectivity lies at the heart of evolutionary theory, and landscape genetics has rapidly advanced to understand how gene flow can be impacted by the environment. Isolation by landscape resistance, often inferred through the use of circuit theory, is increasingly identified as being...

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Main Authors: Robert J. Fletcher Jr, Jorge A. Sefair, Nicholas Kortessis, Roldolfo Jaffe, Robert D. Holt, Ellen P. Robertson, Sarah I. Duncan, Andrew J. Marx, James D. Austin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-11-01
Series:Methods in Ecology and Evolution
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13975
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author Robert J. Fletcher Jr
Jorge A. Sefair
Nicholas Kortessis
Roldolfo Jaffe
Robert D. Holt
Ellen P. Robertson
Sarah I. Duncan
Andrew J. Marx
James D. Austin
author_facet Robert J. Fletcher Jr
Jorge A. Sefair
Nicholas Kortessis
Roldolfo Jaffe
Robert D. Holt
Ellen P. Robertson
Sarah I. Duncan
Andrew J. Marx
James D. Austin
author_sort Robert J. Fletcher Jr
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Genetic connectivity lies at the heart of evolutionary theory, and landscape genetics has rapidly advanced to understand how gene flow can be impacted by the environment. Isolation by landscape resistance, often inferred through the use of circuit theory, is increasingly identified as being critical for predicting genetic connectivity across complex landscapes. Yet landscape impediments to migration can arise from fundamentally different processes, such as landscape gradients causing directional migration and mortality during migration, which can be challenging to address. Spatial absorbing Markov chains (SAMC) have been introduced to understand and predict these (and other) processes affecting connectivity in ecological settings, but the relationship of this framework to landscape genetics remains unclear. Here, we relate the SAMC to population genetics theory, provide simulations to interpret the extent to which the SAMC can predict genetic metrics and demonstrate how the SAMC can be applied to genomic data using an example with an endangered species, the Panama City crayfish Procambarus econfinae, where directional migration is hypothesized to occur. The use of the SAMC for landscape genetics can be justified based on similar grounds to using circuit theory, as we show how circuit theory is a special case of this framework. The SAMC can extend circuit‐theoretic connectivity modelling by quantifying both directional resistance to migration and acknowledging the difference between migration mortality and resistance to migration. Our empirical example highlights that the SAMC better predicts population structure than circuit theory and least‐cost analysis by acknowledging asymmetric environmental gradients (i.e. slope) and migration mortality in this species. These results provide a foundation for applying the SAMC to landscape genetics. This framework extends isolation‐by‐resistance modelling to account for some common processes that can impact gene flow, which can improve predicting genetic connectivity across complex landscapes.
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spelling doaj-art-33f73e6bb96d4715a660b54e106d3ea82025-08-20T03:02:28ZengWileyMethods in Ecology and Evolution2041-210X2022-11-0113112463247710.1111/2041-210X.13975Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivityRobert J. Fletcher Jr0Jorge A. Sefair1Nicholas Kortessis2Roldolfo Jaffe3Robert D. Holt4Ellen P. Robertson5Sarah I. Duncan6Andrew J. Marx7James D. Austin8Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USASchool of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USAVale Institute of Technology Belem BrazilDepartment of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USAAbstract Genetic connectivity lies at the heart of evolutionary theory, and landscape genetics has rapidly advanced to understand how gene flow can be impacted by the environment. Isolation by landscape resistance, often inferred through the use of circuit theory, is increasingly identified as being critical for predicting genetic connectivity across complex landscapes. Yet landscape impediments to migration can arise from fundamentally different processes, such as landscape gradients causing directional migration and mortality during migration, which can be challenging to address. Spatial absorbing Markov chains (SAMC) have been introduced to understand and predict these (and other) processes affecting connectivity in ecological settings, but the relationship of this framework to landscape genetics remains unclear. Here, we relate the SAMC to population genetics theory, provide simulations to interpret the extent to which the SAMC can predict genetic metrics and demonstrate how the SAMC can be applied to genomic data using an example with an endangered species, the Panama City crayfish Procambarus econfinae, where directional migration is hypothesized to occur. The use of the SAMC for landscape genetics can be justified based on similar grounds to using circuit theory, as we show how circuit theory is a special case of this framework. The SAMC can extend circuit‐theoretic connectivity modelling by quantifying both directional resistance to migration and acknowledging the difference between migration mortality and resistance to migration. Our empirical example highlights that the SAMC better predicts population structure than circuit theory and least‐cost analysis by acknowledging asymmetric environmental gradients (i.e. slope) and migration mortality in this species. These results provide a foundation for applying the SAMC to landscape genetics. This framework extends isolation‐by‐resistance modelling to account for some common processes that can impact gene flow, which can improve predicting genetic connectivity across complex landscapes.https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13975circuit theorygene flowlandscape geneticsMarkov chainsmovement
spellingShingle Robert J. Fletcher Jr
Jorge A. Sefair
Nicholas Kortessis
Roldolfo Jaffe
Robert D. Holt
Ellen P. Robertson
Sarah I. Duncan
Andrew J. Marx
James D. Austin
Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
Methods in Ecology and Evolution
circuit theory
gene flow
landscape genetics
Markov chains
movement
title Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
title_full Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
title_fullStr Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
title_full_unstemmed Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
title_short Extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
title_sort extending isolation by resistance to predict genetic connectivity
topic circuit theory
gene flow
landscape genetics
Markov chains
movement
url https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13975
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