Maintaining functional connectivity is critical for the long-term conservation of wildlife populations. Landscape genomics provides an opportunity to assess long-term functional connectivity by relating environmental variables to spatial patterns of genomic variation resulting from generations of movement, dispersal and mating behaviors. Identifying landscape features associated with gene flow at large geographic scales for highly mobile species is becoming increasingly possible due to more accessible genomic approaches, improved analytical methods and enhanced computational power. We characterized the genetic structure and diversity of migratory mule deer Odocoileus hemionus using 4051 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 406 individuals sampled across multiple habitats throughout Wyoming, USA. We then identified environmental variables associated with genomic variation within genetic groups and statewide using a stepwise approach to first evaluate nonlinear relationships of landscape resistance with genetic distances and then use mixed-effects modeling to choose top landscape genomic models. We identified three admixed genetic groups of mule deer and found that environmental variables associated with gene flow varied among genetic groups, revealing scale-dependent and regional variation in functional connectivity. At the statewide scale, more gene flow occurred in areas with low elevation and mixed habitat. In the southern genetic group, more gene flow occurred in areas with low elevation. In the northern genetic group, more gene flow occurred in grassland and forest habitats, while highways and energy infrastructure reduced gene flow. In the western genetic group, the null model of isolation by distance best represented genetic patterns. Overall, our findings highlight the role of different seasonal ranges on mule deer genetic connectivity, and show that anthropogenic features hinder connectivity. This study demonstrates the value of combining a large, genome-wide marker set with recent advances in landscape genomics to evaluate functional connectivity in a wide-ranging migratory species.

中文翻译：

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景观基因组学揭示的连续分布的迁徙物种中的功能连接

保持功能连接对于野生动物种群的长期保护至关重要。景观基因组学通过将环境变量与由几代运动、扩散和交配行为引起的基因组变异的空间模式相关联，提供了评估长期功能连通性的机会。由于更容易获得的基因组方法、改进的分析方法和增强的计算能力，识别与大地理范围内高度移动物种的基因流相关的景观特征变得越来越可能。我们表征了迁徙骡鹿Odocoileus hemionus的遗传结构和多样性使用来自美国怀俄明州多个栖息地的 406 个个体的 4051 个单核苷酸多态性。然后，我们使用逐步方法确定与遗传组内和全州范围内的基因组变异相关的环境变量，首先评估景观抵抗力与遗传距离的非线性关系，然后使用混合效应模型来选择顶级景观基因组模型。我们确定了骡鹿的三个混合遗传群体，并发现与基因流动相关的环境变量因遗传群体而异，揭示了功能连通性的规模依赖性和区域差异。在全州范围内，更多的基因流发生在低海拔和混合生境的地区。在南方遗​​传群中，更多的基因流发生在低海拔地区。在北方基因组中，更多的基因流发生在草原和森林栖息地，而高速公路和能源基础设施减少了基因流。在西方遗传组中，按距离隔离的无效模型最能代表遗传模式。总体而言，我们的研究结果强调了不同季节范围对骡鹿遗传连通性的作用，并表明人为特征阻碍了连通性。这项研究证明了将大型全基因组标记集与景观基因组学的最新进展相结合以评估范围广泛的迁徙物种的功能连通性的价值。我们的研究结果强调了不同季节范围对骡鹿遗传连通性的作用，并表明人为特征阻碍了连通性。这项研究证明了将大型全基因组标记集与景观基因组学的最新进展相结合以评估范围广泛的迁徙物种的功能连通性的价值。我们的研究结果强调了不同季节范围对骡鹿遗传连通性的作用，并表明人为特征阻碍了连通性。这项研究证明了将大型全基因组标记集与景观基因组学的最新进展相结合以评估范围广泛的迁徙物种的功能连通性的价值。