The blowfly Chrysomya latifrons inhabits fragmented rainforests, but shows no population structure.

Butterworth, NJ; Wallman, JF; Johnston, NP; Dawson, BM; Sharp-Heward, J; McGaughran, A

The blowfly Chrysomya latifrons inhabits fragmented rainforests, but shows no population structure.

Butterworth, NJ Wallman, JF Johnston, NP Dawson, BM Sharp-Heward, J McGaughran, A

Permalink

Publisher:: SPRINGER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Oecologia, 2023, 201, (3), pp. 703-719
Issue Date:: 2023-03

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download Published versionAdobe PDF (1.5 MB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Butterworth, NJ
dc.contributor.author	Wallman, JF
dc.contributor.author	Johnston, NP
dc.contributor.author	Dawson, BM
dc.contributor.author	Sharp-Heward, J
dc.contributor.author	McGaughran, A
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-30T06:22:44Z
dc.date.available	2023-01-27
dc.date.available	2024-01-30T06:22:44Z
dc.date.issued	2023-03
dc.identifier.citation	Oecologia, 2023, 201, (3), pp. 703-719
dc.identifier.issn	0029-8549
dc.identifier.issn	1432-1939
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/175095
dc.description.abstract	Climate change and deforestation are causing rainforests to become increasingly fragmented, placing them at heightened risk of biodiversity loss. Invertebrates constitute the greatest proportion of this biodiversity, yet we lack basic knowledge of their population structure and ecology. There is a compelling need to develop our understanding of the population dynamics of a wide range of rainforest invertebrates so that we can begin to understand how rainforest fragments are connected, and how they will cope with future habitat fragmentation and climate change. Blowflies are an ideal candidate for such research because they are widespread, abundant, and can be easily collected within rainforests. We genotyped 188 blowflies (Chrysomya latifrons) from 15 isolated rainforests and found high levels of gene flow, a lack of genetic structure between rainforests, and low genetic diversity - suggesting the presence of a single large genetically depauperate population. This highlights that: (1) the blowfly Ch. latifrons inhabits a ~ 1000 km stretch of Australian rainforests, where it plays an important role as a nutrient recycler; (2) strongly dispersing flies can migrate between and connect isolated rainforests, likely carrying pollen, parasites, phoronts, and pathogens along with them; and (3) widely dispersing and abundant insects can nevertheless be genetically depauperate. There is an urgent need to better understand the relationships between habitat fragmentation, genetic diversity, and adaptive potential-especially for poorly dispersing rainforest-restricted insects, as many of these may be particularly fragmented and at highest risk of local extinction.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	SPRINGER
dc.relation.ispartof	Oecologia
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s00442-023-05333-w
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0602 Ecology
dc.subject.classification	Ecology
dc.subject.classification	3103 Ecology
dc.subject.classification	3104 Evolutionary biology
dc.subject.classification	3109 Zoology
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Calliphoridae
dc.subject.mesh	Rainforest
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Biodiversity
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Biodiversity
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Rainforest
dc.subject.mesh	Calliphoridae
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Calliphoridae
dc.subject.mesh	Rainforest
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Biodiversity
dc.title	The blowfly Chrysomya latifrons inhabits fragmented rainforests, but shows no population structure.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	201
utslib.location.activity	Germany
utslib.for	0602 Ecology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2024-01-30T06:22:39Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	201
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

Climate change and deforestation are causing rainforests to become increasingly fragmented, placing them at heightened risk of biodiversity loss. Invertebrates constitute the greatest proportion of this biodiversity, yet we lack basic knowledge of their population structure and ecology. There is a compelling need to develop our understanding of the population dynamics of a wide range of rainforest invertebrates so that we can begin to understand how rainforest fragments are connected, and how they will cope with future habitat fragmentation and climate change. Blowflies are an ideal candidate for such research because they are widespread, abundant, and can be easily collected within rainforests. We genotyped 188 blowflies (Chrysomya latifrons) from 15 isolated rainforests and found high levels of gene flow, a lack of genetic structure between rainforests, and low genetic diversity - suggesting the presence of a single large genetically depauperate population. This highlights that: (1) the blowfly Ch. latifrons inhabits a ~ 1000 km stretch of Australian rainforests, where it plays an important role as a nutrient recycler; (2) strongly dispersing flies can migrate between and connect isolated rainforests, likely carrying pollen, parasites, phoronts, and pathogens along with them; and (3) widely dispersing and abundant insects can nevertheless be genetically depauperate. There is an urgent need to better understand the relationships between habitat fragmentation, genetic diversity, and adaptive potential-especially for poorly dispersing rainforest-restricted insects, as many of these may be particularly fragmented and at highest risk of local extinction.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/175095