Metapopulation structure in water voles - does demographic desequilibrium affect gene dynamics

Información del proyecto

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: FMBI983199

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de inicio 6 Julio 1998

Fecha de finalización 5 Julio 2000

Financiado con arreglo a

• Specific research and technological development programme in the field of the training and mobility of researchers, 1994-1998

Coste total Sin datos

Aportación de la UE Sin datos

Coordinado por

University of Aberdeen
Reino Unido

Objetivo

Research objectives and content
In conservation biology, genetic and demographic structure of populations are assumed to be key factors affecting long term population persistence probabilities. In metapopulations, local extinction of demes by stochastic demographic processes has to be balanced by colonisation from other demes to avoid global extinction. Intuitively, such demographic equilibrium systems of metapopulations will reach a state of desequilibrium if properly disturbed. In NE Scotland, water voles Arvicola terrestris are already local extinct from areas along main stem of rivers inhabited by the American mink. The American mink has expanded over large areas in Britain since escapes from farms in the 1960s. Water voles retreat as the mink expand, and there is no coexistence of the two species in NE Scotland. The objective of this study is to see how metapopulations fragmented due to mink predation are influenced. Metapopulations along the river Ythan that have been influenced by mink since 1970 are compared by metapopulations in the headwaters of Dee not yet influenced by mink. Exhaustive trapping of animals followed by analyses of gene variability (using already developed genetic markers) within and between metapopulations from both systems will allow us to identify at which scale effective dispersal operates in equilibrium metapopulations, and assess the impact of recent desequilibrium on the genetic structure.
Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact)
The applicant Dr. Jon Aars will benefit from expanded knowledge on methodology in molecular genetics and in analytical population genetics. The results from the project will become available through publications by the research group.
Links with industry / industrial relevance (22)

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS clasifica los proyectos con EuroSciVoc, una taxonomía plurilingüe de ámbitos científicos, mediante un proceso semiautomático basado en técnicas de procesamiento del lenguaje natural. Véase: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › genética
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › biología molecular › genética molecular
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › ciencias biológicas del comportamiento › etología › interacción biológica

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Programa(s)

• FP4-TMR - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of the training and mobility of researchers, 1994-1998

Tema(s)

• 0302 - Post-doctoral research training grants
• TL15 - Population Sciences (inc.Ecology, Evolutionary Sc., Biodiversity & Conserva.)

Convocatoria de propuestas

Datos no disponibles

Régimen de financiación

RGI -

Coordinador

University of Aberdeen

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: 2 Tillydrone Avenue ; AB9 2TN Aberdeen ; Reino Unido
• Coste total: Sin datos