Fine-scale genetic structure and dispersal in Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) within Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Although mammals are typically characterized by male-biased dispersal, field studies of lynx conflict as to whether dispersal is male-biased or lacks sex-bias. To resolve this issue we dissect fine-scale genetic structure and analyze dispersal in regard to gender using 19 microsatellite loci, teemed with extensive sampling (n = 272 adults) of Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792) throughout Alberta. The level of genetic variation was high (mean H_e= 71.6%), as reported in previous genetic studies of lynx. No significant barriers to gene flow were detected within Alberta’s lynx population. Despite several reports of long-distance movements in lynx, we observed a slight significant negative correlation between pairwise relatedness values and geographic distance (r_M= –0.025, P = 0.048), indicating a decrease in relatedness between individuals as their sampling distance increases. When the same analysis was performed separately on sexes, the slopes of the individual regressions did not differ significantly between males and females (P = 0.708). Our molecular results suggest a lack of sex-biased dispersal in Canada lynx, similar to reports on other lynx species.