Cited by 236Genetic diversity and population structureEvolution and Genetic DynamicsSpecies Distribution and Climate Change

Consequences of Range Contractions and Range Shifts on Molecular Diversity

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Arenas, Miguel, Ray, Nicolas, Currat, Mathias, Excoffier, Laurent·2012·Molecular Biology and Evolution

Abstract

Due to past and current climatic changes, range contractions and range shifts are essential stages in the history of a species. However, unlike range expansions, the molecular consequences of these processes have been little investigated. In order to fill this gap, we simulated patterns of molecular diversity within and between populations for various types of range contractions and range shifts. We show that range contractions tend to decrease genetic diversity as compared with population with stable ranges but quite counterintuitively fast range contractions preserve higher levels of diversity and induce lower levels of genetic differentiation among refuge areas than slow contractions. Contrastingly, fast range shifts lead to lower levels of diversity than slow range shifts. At odds with our expectations, we find that species actively migrating toward refuge areas can only preserve higher levels of diversity in refugia if the contraction is rapid. Under slow range contraction or slow range shift, active migration toward refugia lead to a larger loss of diversity as compared with scenarios with isotropic migration and may thus not be a good evolutionary strategy. These results suggest that the levels of diversity preserved after a climate change both within and between refuge areas will not only depend on the dispersal abilities of a species but also on the speed of the change. It also implies that a given episode of climatic change will impact differently species with different generation times.

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Crossref · 10.1093/molbev/msr187

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  • Different events of population contractions and expansions during the Paleolithic related to the Last Glacial Maximum could have affected the latitudinal gradient more than the one seen for longitude.

    “Different events of population contractions and expansions during the Paleolithic related to the LGM (45, 46) could have affected the latitudinal gradient more than the one seen for longitude.”

    From Past human expansions shaped the spatial pattern of Neanderthal ancestry (2023) · cites this paper as [46]

    The ‘Envisioning more complex scenarios’ section says that many species likely underwent repeated expansions and contractions across glacial cycles. It does not identify those events as Paleolithic or related to the Last Glacial Maximum, and it does not compare their effects on latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • The sole observation of a southeast to northwest genetic cline in Europe is not informative about the expansion of farmers, as the cline could have been generated during the previous hunter-gatherer expansion.

    “As previously noted (45, 46), the sole observation of a south east to north west genetic cline in Europe is not informative about the expansion of FAs, as the cline could have been generated during the previous HG expansion.”

    From Past human expansions shaped the spatial pattern of Neanderthal ancestry (2023) · cites this paper as [46]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says range expansions can affect patterns of genetic diversity, and the Range expansions section describes simulated expansions. Neither addresses a southeast-to-northwest European cline, farmer versus hunter-gatherer expansions, or whether that cline can distinguish between them. Searches for those terms and for “cline” found no passage establishing the attributed point. (LLM, conf=0.74)

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  • Reductions in habitat area as species move up mountains increase extinction rates and can erode genetic diversity, further reducing fitness and response to ongoing changes in climate.

    “The reductions in habitat area as species move up mountains also increase extinction rates (87), and can erode genetic diversity, further reducing fitness and response to ongoing changes in climate (122, 123).”

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Authors
Arenas, M., Ray, N., Currat, M., & Excoffier, L.
Affiliations
  • University of Bern (CH)
  • University of Geneva (CH)
Corresponding author
Arenas, Miguel
Venue
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Published
2011-07-21
Volume
29
Issue
1
Pages
207-218
ISSN
  • 0737-4038 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-1719
OpenAlex
W2164841145
Cited by
236
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 14
FWCI
10.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular Biology and Evolution (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
  • BORIS (University Library Bern) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
European Commission (226852)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic diversity and population structure
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecological Modeling › Species Distribution and Climate Change
Keywords
range contraction, range shifts, climate change, genetic diversity, genetic differentiation, refugia, migration, dispersal, generation time, population genetics, molecular diversity
MeSH terms
Animals, Computer Simulation, DNA, Environment, Genetics, Population, Homing Behavior, Models, Biological, Genetic Variation, Evolution, Molecular, Animal Migration, Climate Change

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