Elucidating dispersal ecology of reclusive species through genetic analyses of parentage and relatedness: the island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana) as a case study

Abstract

ABSTRACTCharacterizing dispersal and movement patterns are vital to understanding the evolutionary ecology of species. For many reclusive species, such as reptiles, the observation of direct dispersal may be difficult or intractable. However, dispersal distances and patterns may be characterized through indirect genetic methods. We used genetic and capture data from the island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana) to estimate natal dispersal distances through indirect genetic methods, characterize movement and space use patterns, and compare these distances to previous estimates made from more traditional ecological approaches. We found that indirect estimates of natal dispersal were greater than previous field-based estimates of individual displacement of 3-5 m. Parent-offspring differences had a mean of approximately 14 m on Santa Barbara Island (SBI) and 41 m on San Clemente Island (SCI) whereas Wright’s σ was estimated at 16 m on SBI and 20 m for SCI. Spatial autocorrelation with correlograms of Moran’s I revealed large differences in the scale of autocorrelation between islands (SBI=375 m, SCI=1,813 m). Interpretation of these distances as average per generation distance of gene flow was incongruent with parentage analyses and σ. We also used variograms to evaluate the range of spatial autocorrelation among two inter-individual genetic differences. The range of spatial autocorrelation again identified different scales on the two islands (102 - 169 m on SBI and 955 - 1,424 m on SCI). No evidence of sex-biased dispersal was found on either island. However, a permutation logistic regression revealed that related individuals >0.8 years old were more likely to be captured together on both islands. Overall, our findings suggest that field-based estimates of individual displacement within this species may underestimate genetic dispersal. We suggest indirect inferences of natal dispersal distances should focus on parentage analyses and Wright’s σ for parameter estimation of individual movement, whereas the ranges identified by spatial autocorrelation and variograms are likely to be relevant at the metapopulation or patch scales. Furthermore, characterization of capture patterns and relatedness revealed kin-affiliative behavior in X. riversiana, which may be indicative of delayed dispersal and cryptic sociality. These results highlight the power of parentage- and relatedness-based analyses for characterizing aspects of the movement ecology of reclusive species that may be difficult to observe directly. These data can then be leveraged to support future conservation and population modeling efforts and assess extinction risks and management strategies.