Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe
European amphibians such as the common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus (Laurenti, 1768)) exhibit alarming declines across large parts of their range, despite extensive legislation aimed at conservation. As knowledge about the genetic background of a species has become crucial for conservation asses...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240893 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850036969236594688 |
|---|---|
| author | Caroline C. Mouton Karolin Eils Johan Auwerx Paolo Eusebio Bergó Wilbert Bosman Angelica Crottini Julia Dayon Christophe Eggert Christian Göcking Wolf-Rüdiger Große Werner Kloas Spartak Litvinchuk Katarina Ljubisavljevic Claude Miaud Norbert Menke Maria Ogielska Jeroen Speybroeck Loïc van Doorn Richard Struijk Matthias Stöck Joachim Mergeay |
| author_facet | Caroline C. Mouton Karolin Eils Johan Auwerx Paolo Eusebio Bergó Wilbert Bosman Angelica Crottini Julia Dayon Christophe Eggert Christian Göcking Wolf-Rüdiger Große Werner Kloas Spartak Litvinchuk Katarina Ljubisavljevic Claude Miaud Norbert Menke Maria Ogielska Jeroen Speybroeck Loïc van Doorn Richard Struijk Matthias Stöck Joachim Mergeay |
| author_sort | Caroline C. Mouton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | European amphibians such as the common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus (Laurenti, 1768)) exhibit alarming declines across large parts of their range, despite extensive legislation aimed at conservation. As knowledge about the genetic background of a species has become crucial for conservation assessment, we investigated nuclear genetic diversity and structure of P. fuscus, based on microsatellite loci. Clustering revealed major groups corresponding to postglacial colonization patterns. Additionally, we found contrasting patterns of genetic diversity across the 66 studied populations, reflecting the conservation status of the species in Europe and with marked genetic impoverishment across most populations in the northwestern part of the species’ distribution range. Our findings provide genetic information on the conservation status of the common spadefoot toad across Europe, emphasizing the need for urgent conservation efforts. We recommend further genetic monitoring, habitat restoration and potential translocations to safeguard the species in the face of ongoing challenges. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-702154e9bd224f148d50fe82c654b79e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-702154e9bd224f148d50fe82c654b79e2025-08-20T02:56:59ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-07-0112710.1098/rsos.240893Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central EuropeCaroline C. Mouton0Karolin Eils1Johan Auwerx2Paolo Eusebio Bergó3Wilbert Bosman4Angelica Crottini5Julia Dayon6Christophe Eggert7Christian Göcking8Wolf-Rüdiger Große9Werner Kloas10Spartak Litvinchuk11Katarina Ljubisavljevic12Claude Miaud13Norbert Menke14Maria Ogielska15Jeroen Speybroeck16Loïc van Doorn17Richard Struijk18Matthias Stöck19Joachim Mergeay20Research Institute for Nature and Forest, 9500 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumDepartment 4, Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin 12587, GermanyResearch Institute for Nature and Forest, 1630 Linkebeek, BelgiumELEADE Società Cooperativa a.r.l., 10010 Chiaverano, ItalyReptile, Amphibian & Fish Conservation Netherlands (RAVON), 6501 BK Nijmegen, The NetherlandsCIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, PortugalCEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, FranceSociété Herpétologique de France and Fauna Consult, 22410 Saint-Quay-Portrieux, FranceNaturschutzbund, NABU-Naturschutzstation Münsterland eV, 48165 Münster, GermanyMartin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen, 06099 Halle, GermanyDepartment 4, Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin 12587, GermanyInstitute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg 194064, Russian FederationInstitute for Biological Research ‘Siniša Stanković’, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Beograd, SerbiaCEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, FranceNaturschutzbund, NABU-Naturschutzstation Münsterland eV, 48165 Münster, GermanyDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, University of Wrocław, Wroclaw, PolandResearch Institute for Nature and Forest, 1630 Linkebeek, BelgiumResearch Institute for Nature and Forest, 1630 Linkebeek, BelgiumReptile, Amphibian & Fish Conservation Netherlands (RAVON), 6501 BK Nijmegen, The NetherlandsDepartment 4, Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin 12587, GermanyResearch Institute for Nature and Forest, 9500 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumEuropean amphibians such as the common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus (Laurenti, 1768)) exhibit alarming declines across large parts of their range, despite extensive legislation aimed at conservation. As knowledge about the genetic background of a species has become crucial for conservation assessment, we investigated nuclear genetic diversity and structure of P. fuscus, based on microsatellite loci. Clustering revealed major groups corresponding to postglacial colonization patterns. Additionally, we found contrasting patterns of genetic diversity across the 66 studied populations, reflecting the conservation status of the species in Europe and with marked genetic impoverishment across most populations in the northwestern part of the species’ distribution range. Our findings provide genetic information on the conservation status of the common spadefoot toad across Europe, emphasizing the need for urgent conservation efforts. We recommend further genetic monitoring, habitat restoration and potential translocations to safeguard the species in the face of ongoing challenges.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240893amphibian conservationEuropean common spadefoot toadmicrosatellitespopulation geneticsPelobates fuscus |
| spellingShingle | Caroline C. Mouton Karolin Eils Johan Auwerx Paolo Eusebio Bergó Wilbert Bosman Angelica Crottini Julia Dayon Christophe Eggert Christian Göcking Wolf-Rüdiger Große Werner Kloas Spartak Litvinchuk Katarina Ljubisavljevic Claude Miaud Norbert Menke Maria Ogielska Jeroen Speybroeck Loïc van Doorn Richard Struijk Matthias Stöck Joachim Mergeay Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe Royal Society Open Science amphibian conservation European common spadefoot toad microsatellites population genetics Pelobates fuscus |
| title | Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe |
| title_full | Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe |
| title_fullStr | Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe |
| title_short | Population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads, Pelobates fuscus, in Western and Central Europe |
| title_sort | population genetics for conservation of spadefoot toads pelobates fuscus in western and central europe |
| topic | amphibian conservation European common spadefoot toad microsatellites population genetics Pelobates fuscus |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240893 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolinecmouton populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT karolineils populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT johanauwerx populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT paoloeusebiobergo populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT wilbertbosman populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT angelicacrottini populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT juliadayon populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT christopheeggert populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT christiangocking populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT wolfrudigergroße populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT wernerkloas populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT spartaklitvinchuk populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT katarinaljubisavljevic populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT claudemiaud populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT norbertmenke populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT mariaogielska populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT jeroenspeybroeck populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT loicvandoorn populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT richardstruijk populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT matthiasstock populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope AT joachimmergeay populationgeneticsforconservationofspadefoottoadspelobatesfuscusinwesternandcentraleurope |