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Article
New evidence contradicts the rapid spread of invasive genes into a threatened native species
When introduced species hybridize with native relatives, spread of advantageous invasive genes into native populations (introgression) is a conservation concern. Genome-scale SNP (single nucleotide polymorphis...
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Article
Open AccessBiodiversity in a box: three non-native invertebrates preferentially find refugia in green space management infrastructure across urban Los Angeles
In Southern California, irrigation infrastructure is a prerequisite for urban green space management, and valve boxes are installed widely to manage water flow. These below-ground, plastic boxes protect valves...
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Article
Open AccessCaliPopGen: A genetic and life history database for the fauna and flora of California
CaliPopGen is a database of population genetic data for native and naturalized eukaryotic species in California, USA. It summarizes the published literature (1985–2020) for 5,453 unique populations with geneti...
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Article
Open AccessAmphibian responses in the aftermath of extreme climate events
Climate change-induced extinctions are estimated to eliminate one in six known species by the end of the century. One major factor that will contribute to these extinctions is extreme climatic events. Here, we...
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Article
Urban biodiversity arks
Urban biodiversity is an unplanned species assemblage. Although promoting native biodiversity should be the primary goal, the built environment often contains optimal habitat for non-natives. With planning and...
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Article
Genetic structure and environmental niche modeling confirm two evolutionary and conservation units within the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii)
The western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) is a Species of Special Concern in California and is now under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We delineated poten...
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Article
Population genomic data reveal extreme geographic subdivision and novel conservation actions for the declining foothill yellow-legged frog
Genomic data have the potential to inform high resolution landscape genetic and biological conservation studies that go far beyond recent mitochondrial and microsatellite analyses. We characterize the relation...
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Article
Open AccessAn amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
Inducible phenotypic responses to environmental variation are ubiquitous across the tree of life, but it remains an open question whether amphibian chemical defense phenotypes are inducible. Tetrodotoxin (TTX)...
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Article
Advances in climate models from CMIP3 to CMIP5 do not change predictions of future habitat suitability for California reptiles and amphibians
Understanding how predicted species responses to climate change are affected by advances in climate modeling is important for determining the frequency with which vulnerability assessments need to be updated. ...
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Article
Open AccessThe western painted turtle genome, a model for the evolution of extreme physiological adaptations in a slowly evolving lineage
We describe the genome of the western painted turtle, Chrysemys picta bellii, one of the most widespread, abundant, and well-studied turtles. We place the genome into a comparative evolutionary context, and focus...
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Article
Conservation and genetics of the frosted flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) on the Atlantic coastal plain
The federally threatened frosted flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, occurs in isolated populations on the coastal plain of northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. An earlier phylogeographic study b...
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Article
Open AccessEffective population size is strongly correlated with breeding pond size in the endangered California tiger salamander, Ambystoma californiense
Maintaining genetic diversity and population viability in endangered and threatened species is a primary concern of conservation biology. Genetic diversity depends on population connectivity and effective popu...
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Article
Open AccessShallow genetic divergence indicates a Congo–Nile riverine connection for the softshell turtle Trionyx triunguis
We sequenced 20 new, field-collected individuals for up to seven genes to explore the phylogeography and conservation genetics of the threatened Nile softshell turtle Trionyx triunguis, including the first known-...
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Article
Open AccessThe origin of tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) populations in California, Oregon, and Nevada: introductions or relicts?
Whether intentionally or accidentally introduced, exotic species have the capacity to dramatically disrupt native communities. In central California, tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) have been introduced as...
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Article
Rangewide phylogeography and landscape genetics of the Western U.S. endemic frog Rana boylii (Ranidae): implications for the conservation of frogs and rivers
Genetic data are increasingly being used in conservation planning for declining species. We sampled both the ecological and distributional limits of the foothill yellow-legged frog, Rana boylii to characterize mi...
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Article
Open AccessTesting avian, squamate, and mammalian nuclear markers for cross amplification in turtles
We used PCR amplifications to assess 120 previously described nuclear markers for phylogeographic and phylogenetic analysis in turtles. Twenty-seven of 120 markers amplified a single PCR product for both the w...
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Article
Open AccessRetention of low-fitness genotypes over six decades of admixture between native and introduced tiger salamanders
Introductions of non-native tiger salamanders into the range of California tiger salamanders have provided a rare opportunity to study the early stages of secondary contact and hybridization. We produced first...
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Article
Open AccessRapid progress on the vertebrate tree of life
Among the greatest challenges for biology in the 21st century is inference of the tree of life. Interest in, and progress toward, this goal has increased dramatically with the growing availability of molecular...
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Article
Open AccessRapid fixation of non-native alleles revealed by genome-wide SNP analysis of hybrid tiger salamanders
Hybrid zones represent valuable opportunities to observe evolution in systems that are unusually dynamic and where the potential for the origin of novelty and rapid adaptation co-occur with the potential for d...
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Open AccessAssessing what is needed to resolve a molecular phylogeny: simulations and empirical data from emydid turtles
Phylogenies often contain both well-supported and poorly supported nodes. Determining how much additional data might be required to eventually recover most or all nodes with high support is an important pragma...
