Genetic population structure within and among little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) maternity colonies within mainland Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

A common trait among mammals is group living, where individuals come together as a temporary or permanent group. In little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), this is a common behavior of hibernation and at maternity roosts. During the summer, females will! gather at maternity roosts to give birth and raise young. It has been suggested from observational studies that maternity colonies are structured based on female philopatry and male dispersal, and the objective of this project was to test this prediction.Population genetic structure was assessed at maternity roosts in mainland Nova Scotia using two molecular markers. Over three years, samples were collected from 505 adult females at 14 roosts (n=13R92 per roost). DNA was extracted and a section of the mitochondrial control region and 10 microsatellite loci were analyzed. Colonies were found to have significant differentiation of mitochondrial haplotypes and microsatellite allele frequencies, with F[subscript ST] for mitochondrial DNA being tenfold higher than for the nuclear markers. This pattern is consistent with female philopatry and male dispersal, as is often observed in mammals.