Migration distance and mating system are not associated with genetic diversity and differentiation among bats (Chiroptera)

Abstract

Genetic variation is critical for evolutionary responses to environmental change. Links between genetic variation and behavioural or life history traits may reveal how varied strategies influence evolutionary trends in speciation and adaptation. Traits associated with movement typically correlate with population genetic structure and could help predict populations vulnerability to geographic processes such as habitat fragmentation and disease spread. With their wide diversity in behaviours and ecologies, bats provide a useful testing ground for hypotheses about population structure related to species-specific movement patterns. We used a global sample of microsatellite data (n=233 sites from 17 bat species) associated with published studies to examine potential links between genetic variation and migration and mating strategies. The genetic measures we tested were population-specific differentiation, gene diversity, and allelic richness. Using Bayesian models that accounted for phylogenetic distances among species, we identified no correlations between migration or mating strategy and genetic variation. Our results do not support long-standing hypotheses about dispersal-mediated genetic structure, and contrast with prior studies on bat genetic diversity and differentiation. We discuss the need for continued research into the complex association of ecological, biogeographical, and behavioural factors that facilitate gene flow among populations, especially in species with diverse movement patterns.