Parsing variance by marker type: Testing biogeographic hypotheses and differential contribution of historical processes to population structure in a desert lizard

Abstract

A fundamental goal of population genetic studies is to identify historical biogeographic patterns and understand the processes that generate them. However, localized demographic events can skew population genetic inference. Assessing populations with multiple types of genetic markers, each with unique mutation rates and responses to changes in population size, can help to identify potentially confounding population‐specific demographic processes. Here, we compared population structure and connectivity inferred from microsatellites and restriction site‐associated DNA loci among 17 populations of an arid‐specialist lizard, the desert night lizard, Xantusia vigilis , in central California to test among historical processes structuring population genetic diversity. We found that both marker types yielded generally concordant insights into population genetic structure including a major phylogenetic break maintained between two populations separated by less than 10 km, suggesting that either marker type could be used to understand generalized demographic patterns across the region for management purposes. However, we also found that the effects of demography on marker discordance could be used to elucidate population histories and distinguish among competing biogeographic hypotheses. Our results suggest that comparisons of within‐population diversity across marker types provide powerful opportunities for leveraging marker discordance, particularly for understanding the creation and maintenance of contact zones among clades.

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