Journal article
Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) compared across multiple cities
Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, v 285(1880), pp 20180245-20180245
13 Jun 2018
PMID: 29875297
Abstract
Urbanization often substantially influences animal movement and gene flow. However, few studies to date have examined gene flow of the same species across multiple cities. In this study, we examine brown rats (
) to test hypotheses about the repeatability of neutral evolution across four cities: Salvador, Brazil; New Orleans, USA; Vancouver, Canada; and New York City, USA. At least 150 rats were sampled from each city and genotyped for a minimum of 15 000 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Levels of genome-wide diversity were similar across cities, but varied across neighbourhoods within cities. All four populations exhibited high spatial autocorrelation at the shortest distance classes (less than 500 m) owing to limited dispersal. Coancestry and evolutionary clustering analyses identified genetic discontinuities within each city that coincided with a resource desert in New York City, major waterways in New Orleans, and roads in Salvador and Vancouver. Such replicated studies are crucial to assessing the generality of predictions from urban evolution, and have practical applications for pest management and public health. Future studies should include a range of global cities in different biomes, incorporate multiple species, and examine the impact of specific characteristics of the built environment and human socioeconomics on gene flow.
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Details
- Title
- Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) compared across multiple cities
- Creators
- Matthew Combs - Fordham UniversityKaylee A Byers - University of British ColumbiaBruno M Ghersi - Tulane UniversityMichael J Blum - Tulane UniversityAdalgisa Caccone - Yale UniversityFederico Costa - Fundação Oswaldo CruzChelsea G Himsworth - University of British ColumbiaJonathan L Richardson - Providence CollegeJason Munshi-South - Fordham University
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, v 285(1880), pp 20180245-20180245
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Grant note
- MOP-119530 / CIHR 102330/Z/13/Z / Wellcome Trust R01 TW009504 / FIC NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000435198500005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85048343379
- Other Identifier
- 991021903866104721
InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology