Date Approved
2020
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department or School
Biology
Committee Member
Katherine Greenwald, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Kristin Judd, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Brian Connolly, Ph.D.
Abstract
Climate change drives changes in organisms’ geographic ranges that can lead to shifts in population structure. Unisexual (all female) Ambystoma salamanders reproduce via kleptogenesis, resulting in ploidy-variable offspring. I analyzed genetic data of historic and modern-day unisexual and A. laterale 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 A. laterale and toward populations dominated by unisexuals in five out of six ponds. There was a significant relationship between the proportion of A. laterale to unisexuals and pond size but not between the proportion of A. laterale 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
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Kelsey B., "Temporal changes in unisexual and sexual Ambystoma salamander populations in southeast Michigan" (2020). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1033.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1033