Temporal changes in unisexual and sexual Ambystoma salamander populations in southeast Michigan

<p>Climate change drives changes in organisms’ geographic ranges that can lead to shifts in population structure. Unisexual (all female) <em>Ambystoma</em> salamanders reproduce via kleptogenesis, resulting in ploidy-variable offspring. I analyzed genetic data of historic and modern-day unisexual and <em>A. laterale</em> samples from the University of Michigan’s E. S. George Reserve using epidermal cell nuclei measurements and microsatellite loci. I found that population composition has shifted away from the more northern-distributed <em>A. laterale</em> and toward populations dominated by unisexuals in five out of six ponds. There was a significant relationship between the proportion of <em>A. laterale</em> to unisexuals and pond size but not between the proportion of <em>A. laterale</em> and mean and maximum temperature, or canopy cover. Changes in population composition could help reveal the susceptibility of amphibians to climate change and whether adaptation can keep pace with rapid environmental change</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Mitchell, Kelsey B.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Katherine Greenwald, Ph.D.
• Kristin Judd, Ph.D.
• Brian Connolly, Ph.D.

• Ambystoma
• Climate
• Kleptogenesis
• Microscopy
• Ploidy
• Unisexual
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1033

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2415