Genomic basis for an informed conservation management of Pelophylax water frogs in Luxembourg

Genomic basis for an informed conservation management of Pelophylax water frogs in Luxembourg

Genetic identification methods have become increasingly important for species that are difficult to identify in the field. A case in point is Pelophylax water frogs. While their morphological determination is highly complex, they include species protected under EU law and some that are classified as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and evolution Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. e8810 - n/a
Main Authors: Weigand, Hannah, Cross Lopez de Llergo, Jennifer, Frantz, Alain C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-04-2022
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Wiley
Subjects:
Amphibians
Breeding
Conservation Genetics
ddRAD
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diploids
DNA
Frogs
Genotype & phenotype
Geography
hybrid complex
Hybridization
Identification methods
Indigenous species
invasive species
Monitoring
Mutation
Native species
Pelophylax
polyploidization
Ponds
Protected species
Single-nucleotide polymorphism
Skin
Taxonomy
Water conservation
England
United Kingdom > UK
Europe
Luxembourg
Germany
polyploidization
ddRAD
hybrid complex
invasive species
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Summary:Genetic identification methods have become increasingly important for species that are difficult to identify in the field. A case in point is Pelophylax water frogs. While their morphological determination is highly complex, they include species protected under EU law and some that are classified as invasive. Additionally, genetic data can provide insights into their complex breeding systems, which may or may not involve the reproductive dependency of one species on another. Here, we generate baseline data for water frog monitoring in Luxembourg. We applied a countrywide sampling approach and used SNPs generated by ddRAD sequencing to identify individuals and infer the breeding systems present in the country. We found Pelophylax lessonae and P. kl. esculentus throughout Luxembourg, mostly living in syntopy. In general, a reproductive dependency of P. kl. esculentus on P. lessonae (L‐E system) was revealed. Besides this general system, we detected triploid P. kl. esculentus in six ponds. This indicates a modified L‐E system with reproductive dependency of the triploids on the diploid P. kl. esculentus. The invasive P. cf. bedriagae was detected in three ponds in southern Luxembourg, with evidence for hybridization with native water frogs. In addition to the ddRAD data, we tested a simple genetic method for future monitoring based on the MND1 marker. It showed in almost all cases, an identical species identification as the ddRAD data and was successfully applied to DNA extracts from mouth swabs. Combining this method with our baseline data will enable informed choices for the protection of native water frog species in Luxembourg. Information about the hybridogenetic system is important for informed conservation management of water frogs. Hence, we determined species identity and ploidy levels of hundreds of water frogs from Luxembourg using ddRAD sequencing. Our results show that most populations have a L‐E breeding system (Pelophylax lessonae and P. kl. esculentus), with occasional triploid P. kl. esculentus (LLR) and invasive P. cf. bedriagae.
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ISSN:2045-7758
2045-7758
DOI:10.1002/ece3.8810