DOI: 10.5061/dryad.nk064
title: Data from: Range-wide and regional patterns of population structure and genetic diversity in the gopher tortoise

description: The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) has experienced dramatic
 population declines throughout its distribution in the southeastern United
 States and is federally listed as threatened in the area west of the
 Tombigbee-Mobile Rivers. While there is molecular support for recognizing
 the listed portion of the range as genetically distinct, other research
 has suggested that additional population structure exists at both
 range-wide and regional scales. In this study, we sought to
 comprehensively define structure at both spatial scales by doubling the
 data available in terms of the number of sampling sites, individuals and
 microsatellite loci compared to previously published work. Patterns of
 genetic diversity, gene flow and demographic history were also compared
 across the range. We collected 933 individuals from 47 sampling sites
 across the range and genotyped them for 20 microsatellite loci. Our
 range-wide analyses supported the recognition of five genetic groups (or
 regions) delineated by the Tombigbee-Mobile Rivers,
 Apalachicola-Chattahoochee Rivers, and the transitional areas between
 several physiographic province sections of the Coastal Plains (i.e.,
 Eastern Gulf, Sea Island, and Floridian). Genetic admixture was found at
 sampling sites along the boundaries of these genetically defined groups.
 We detected some degree of additional genetic structure within each of the
 five regions. Notably, within the federally listed portion of the range,
 we found some support for two additional genetic groups loosely delineated
 by the Pascagoula-Chickasawhay Rivers, and we detected four more genetic
 groups within the Florida region that seemed to reflect the influence of
 the local physiography. Additionally, our range-wide analysis found the
 periphery of the range had lower levels of genetic diversity relative to
 the core. We suggest that the five main genetic groups delineated in our
 study warrant recognition as management units in terms of conservation
 planning. Intraregional population structure also points to the potential
 importance of other barriers to gene flow at finer spatial scales,
 although additional work is needed to better delineate these genetic
 groups.
description: Gopher tortoise
 microsatellite genotype data Table A1Table A1. Genotype data
 for 20 microsatellite loci for each of the 933 gopher tortoise (Gopherus
 polyphemus) individuals collected between 2000-2012 from 47 sampling sites
 located across the Southeastern United States.Gopher tortoise microsatellite
 genotype data Table S1.xlsxGopher tortoise allele
 frequencies by site Table A2Table A2. Allele
 frequencies by sampling site for each of the 20 microsatellite loci
 genotyped in this study for the 933 gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
 individuals collected between 2000-2012 from 47 sampling sites located
 across the Southeastern United States.Gopher tortoise genetic
 and geographic distance matrix Table A3Table A3. Pairwise
 genetic and geographic distances for each of the 47 gopher tortoise
 (Gopherus polyphemus) sampling sites across the Southeastern United States
 collected between 2000-2012 with FST values listed below the diagonal and
 distance in kilometers above the diagonal.Reference_A1_Kelly &
 Bechtold 1989Reference A1. Kelly JF,
 Bechtold WA. 1989. The longleaf pine resource. Proceedings of the
 symposium on the management of longleaf pine. U.S.D.A. Forest Service.
 Southern Forest Experiment Station. Gen. Tech. Report SO-75.
 Pp.11-22.Reference_A2_USFWS 2012
 gopher-tortoise-conservation-strategy-v2Reference A2. [USFWS]
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012. Range-Wide Conservation Strategy for
 the Gopher Tortoise. Jackson, MS. 32 pp.Reference_A2_USFWS 2012
 gopher-tortoise-conservation-strategy
 (1).pdf