Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Nicholas J. Troendle
Project Type
Honors Program project
Scholarship Domain(s)
Scholarship of Discovery
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract
Massive amphibian declines of recent years have pushed researchers to pursue population genetics surveys and to assess the status of these essential components of many ecosystems. The Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) has been continuously experiencing population declines across the continental United States due to a combination of habitat loss and environmental change. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie houses a considerable portion of Northern Leopard Frog (L. pipiens) in Illinois, and within this location, two creeks provide ideal conditions to support these animals. Because this prairie restoration project is a relatively recent development, further assessments on the population structure and degree of migration within these L. pipiens populations are needed. Analysis of seven microsatellite loci specific to L. pipiens revealed significant deviation in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium for most populations which is indicative of large migration rates. Genotype clustering analysis also implied large instances of gene flow between populations—a likely effect of migration. In addition to this, high levels of genetic diversity and private alleles were surprisingly maintained, suggesting large population sizes. Continuous protection of the Midewin populations is essential to avoid genetic diversity and size loss associated with the fate of many western populations.
Permission Type
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Included in
Analysis of the Population Structure and Migration Habits of the Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates Pipiens) at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Reed 330
Massive amphibian declines of recent years have pushed researchers to pursue population genetics surveys and to assess the status of these essential components of many ecosystems. The Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) has been continuously experiencing population declines across the continental United States due to a combination of habitat loss and environmental change. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie houses a considerable portion of Northern Leopard Frog (L. pipiens) in Illinois, and within this location, two creeks provide ideal conditions to support these animals. Because this prairie restoration project is a relatively recent development, further assessments on the population structure and degree of migration within these L. pipiens populations are needed. Analysis of seven microsatellite loci specific to L. pipiens revealed significant deviation in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium for most populations which is indicative of large migration rates. Genotype clustering analysis also implied large instances of gene flow between populations—a likely effect of migration. In addition to this, high levels of genetic diversity and private alleles were surprisingly maintained, suggesting large population sizes. Continuous protection of the Midewin populations is essential to avoid genetic diversity and size loss associated with the fate of many western populations.