Macrogenetic studies must not ignore limitations of genetic markers and scale

Ivan Paz-Vinas; Evelyn L Jensen; Laura D Bertola; Martin F Breed; Brian K Hand; Margaret E Hunter; Francine Kershaw; Deborah M Leigh; Gordon Luikart; Joachim Mergeay; Joshua M Miller; Charles B Van Rees; Gernot Segelbacher; Sean Hoban

doi:10.1111/ele.13732

Macrogenetic studies must not ignore limitations of genetic markers and scale

Ecol Lett. 2021 Jun;24(6):1282-1284. doi: 10.1111/ele.13732. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Authors

Ivan Paz-Vinas^{1

2}, Evelyn L Jensen³, Laura D Bertola⁴, Martin F Breed⁵, Brian K Hand⁶, Margaret E Hunter⁷, Francine Kershaw⁸, Deborah M Leigh⁹, Gordon Luikart⁶, Joachim Mergeay^{10

11}, Joshua M Miller¹², Charles B Van Rees⁶, Gernot Segelbacher¹³, Sean Hoban¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, IRD, UMR 5174, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse, 31062, France.
² Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, INP, UMR 5245, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse, 31062, France.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 21 Sachem St, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
⁴ City College of New York, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, USA.
⁵ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia.
⁶ Flathead Lake Biological Station, 32125 Bio Station Ln, Polson, MT, 59860, USA.
⁷ U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 7920 NW 71st St, Gainesville, FL, 32653, USA.
⁸ Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY, 10011, USA.
⁹ WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Gaverstraat 4, Geraardsbergen, 9500, Belgium.
¹¹ Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KULeuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, box 2439, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
¹² Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
¹³ Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg, D-79106, Germany.
¹⁴ Center for Tree Science, The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rt 53, Lisle, 60532, USA.

PMID: 33749962
DOI: 10.1111/ele.13732

Abstract

Millette et al. (Ecology Letters, 2020, 23:55-67) reported no consistent worldwide anthropogenic effects on animal genetic diversity using repurposed mitochondrial DNA sequences. We reexamine data from this study, describe genetic marker and scale limitations which might lead to misinterpretations with conservation implications, and provide advice to improve future macrogenetic studies.

Keywords: COI; Genbank; anthropogenic impacts; conservation; genetic data archiving; genetic diversity patterns; macroecology; macrogenetics; mitochondrial sequences; population genetics.

MeSH terms

Animals
DNA, Mitochondrial* / genetics
Ecology
Genetic Markers
Genetic Variation*

Substances

DNA, Mitochondrial
Genetic Markers