Land-cover patterns differentially affect population genetic structure and connectivity of two anurans

Land use/land cover change (LULCC) is rapidly altering the quality and quantity of the habitat matrix for many species, potentially reducing the connectivity of species across the landscape. Many measures of connectivity do not directly account for quantitative movement behavior, which can inform the relative influence of specific landscape features on overall connectivity. We evaluated the population genetics and landscape conductivity in two anuran species, exploring the utility of parameters derived from quantitative movement data and landscape features in models of landscape conductance and connectivity. We utilized a suite of population genetic tools to assess population genetic structure and gene flow between 21 localities of American toads in southwest Ohio, USA (Anaxyrus americanus) and Blanchard’s cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) in an agriculturally dominated landscape. We used individual movement behavior data at habitat edges to select landscape variables and used major road and riparian networks to inform models of landscape conductance and functional connectivity. Parameters selected based on movement data were informative in landscape-scale models of connectivity; however, landscape features, especially river/riparian habitat had stronger influences on overall functional connectivity. We additionally found species-specific responses in functional connectivity across the same landscape. Movement behavior data scale up and can be utilized to inform models of connectivity across the landscape, though the inclusion of established landscape features should continue to be included in models of functional connectivity. Species-specific responses to landscape features can result in alternate patterns of connectivity across the same landscape, highlighting the need for individualized measures of connectivity in the context of rapid LULCC.