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464 results for “Population Genetic Diversity”

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dryad32/100

Data from: Bucking the trend: genetic analysis reveals high diversity, large population size and low differentiation in a deep ocean cetacean

Understanding the genetic structure of a population is essential to its conservation and management. We report the level of genetic diversity and determine the population structure of a cryptic deep ocean cetacean, the Gray's beaked whale (Mesoplodon grayi). We analysed 530 bp of mitochondrial control region and 12 microsatellite loci from 94 individuals stranded around New Zealand and Australia. The samples cover a large area of the species distribution (~6000 km) and were collected over a 22-year period. We show high genetic diversity (h=0.933–0.987, π=0.763–0.996% and Rs=4.22–4.37, He=0.624–0.675), and, in contrast to other cetaceans, we found a complete lack of genetic structure in both maternally and biparentally inherited markers. The oceanic habitats around New Zealand are diverse with extremely deep waters, seamounts and submarine canyons that are suitable for Gray's beaked whales and their prey. We propose that the abundance of this rich habitat has promoted genetic homogeneity in this species. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the lack of beaked whale sightings is the result of their low abundance, but this is in contrast to our estimates of female effective population size based on mitochondrial data. In conclusion, the high diversity and lack of genetic structure can be explained by a historically large population size, in combination with no known exploitation, few apparent behavioural barriers and abundant habitat.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Genetic diversity and population structure of the Pelagic Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus) in the Pacific Ocean: evidence for two evolutionarily significant units

There has been an increasing concern about shark overexploitation in the last decade, especially for open ocean shark species, where there is a paucity of data about their life histories and population dynamics. Little is known regarding the population structure of the pelagic thresher shark, Alopias pelagicus. Though an earlier study using mtDNA control region data, showed evidence for differences between eastern and western Pacific populations, the study was hampered by low sample size and sparse geographic coverage, particularly a lack of samples from the central Pacific. Here, we present the population structure of Alopias pelagicus analyzing 351 samples from six different locations across the Pacific Ocean. Using data from mitochondrial DNA COI sequences and seven microsatellite loci we found evidence of strong population differentiation between western and eastern Pacific populations and evidence for reciprocally monophyly for organelle haplotypes and significant divergence of allele frequencies at nuclear loci, suggesting the existence of two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) in the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, the population in Hawaii appears to be composed of both ESUs in what seems to be clear sympatry with reproductive isolation. These results may indicate the existence of a new cryptic species in the Pacific Ocean. The presence of these distinct ESUs highlights the need for revised management plans for this highly exploited shark throughout its range.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Impact of population expansion on genetic diversity and structure of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in central North America

Populations of North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) declined throughout large portions of the continent during the early 1900s due to habitat degradation and unregulated trapping. River otters had been extirpated in North Dakota (ND), but the Red River Valley has since been recolonized, with potential source populations including the neighboring states of Minnesota or South Dakota, or the Canadian province of Manitoba (MB). We genotyped 9 microsatellite loci in 121 samples to determine the source population of river otters in the Red River Valley of ND, as well as to assess population structure and diversity of river otters in central North America. Overall, genetic diversity was high, with an average observed heterozygosity of 0.58. Genetic differentiation was low (F ST < 0.05) between river otters in ND and those of Minnesota, suggesting that eastern ND was recolonized by river otters from Minnesota. River otters from MB were genetically distinct from all other sampled populations. Low genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.044) between South Dakota and Louisiana (LA) suggested that reintroductions using LA stock were successful. The genetic distinctiveness of river otters from different geographic regions should be considered when deciding on source populations for future translocations.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: Beyond the Coral Triangle: high genetic diversity and near panmixia in Singapore's populations of the broadcast spawning sea star Protoreaster nodosus

The Coral Triangle is widely considered the most important centre of marine biodiversity in Asia while areas on its periphery such as the South China Sea, have received much less interest. Here, we demonstrate that a small population of the knobbly sea star Protoreaster nodosus in Singapore has similarly high levels of genetic diversity as comparable Indonesian populations from the Coral Triangle. The high genetic diversity of this population is remarkable because it is maintained despite decades of continued anthropogenic disturbance. We postulate that it is probably due to broadcast spawning which is likely to maintain high levels of population connectivity. To test this, we analysed 6140 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for Singapore's populations and demonstrate a pattern of near panmixia. We here document a second case of high genetic diversity and low genetic structure for a broadcast spawner in Singapore, which suggests that such species have high resilience against anthropogenic disturbances. The study demonstrates the feasibility and power of using genome-wide SNPs for connectivity studies of marine invertebrates without a sequenced genome.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Contrasting genetic diversity and population structure among three sympatric Madagascan shorebirds: parallels with rarity, endemism, and dispersal

Understanding the relative contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors to population structure and genetic diversity is a central goal of conservation and evolutionary genetics. One way to achieve this is through comparative population genetic analysis of sympatric sister taxa, which allows evaluation of intrinsic factors such as population demography and life history while controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and geography. We used ten conserved microsatellites to explore the population structure and genetic diversity of three sympatric and closely related plover species in southwestern Madagascar: Kittlitz's plover (Charadrius pecuarius), white-fronted plover (C. marginatus), and Madagascar plover (C. thoracicus). Bayesian clustering revealed strong population structure in the rare and endemic Madagascar plover, intermediate population structure in the white-fronted plover, and no detectable population structure in the geographically widespread Kittlitz's plover. In contrast, allelic richness and heterozygosity were highest for the Kittlitz's plover, intermediate for the white-fronted plover and lowest for the Madagascar plover. No evidence was found in support of the "watershed mechanism" proposed to facilitate vicariant divergence of Madagascan lemurs and reptiles, which we attribute to the vagility of birds. However, we found a significant pattern of genetic isolation by distance among populations of the Madagascar plover, but not for the other two species. These findings suggest that interspecific variation in rarity, endemism, and dispersal propensity may influence genetic structure and diversity, even in highly vagile species.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →
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Data from: Genetic diversity and population structure of Glossina morsitans morsitans in the active foci of human African trypanosomiasis in Zambia and Malawi

The tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans, is a significant problem in Zambia and Malawi. It is the vector for the human infective parasite Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which causes human African trypanosomiasis, and various Trypanosoma species, which cause African animal trypanosomiasis. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of G. m. morsitans is the basis of elucidating the connectivity of the tsetse fly populations, information that is essential in implementing successful tsetse fly control activities. This study conducted a population genetic study using partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene 1 (CO1) and 10 microsatellite loci to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of G. m. morsitans captured in the major HAT foci in Zambia and Malawi. We have included 108 and 99 G. m. morsitans samples for CO1 and microsatellite analyses respectively. Our results suggest the presence of two different genetic clusters of G. m. morsitans, existing East and West of the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. We have also revealed genetic similarity between the G. m. morsitans in Kasungu National Park and those in the Luangwa river basin in Zambia, indicating that this population should also be included in this historical tsetse belt. Although further investigation is necessary to illustrate the whole picture in East and Southern Africa, this study has extended our knowledge of the population structure of G. m. morsitans in Southern Africa.

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →
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Data from: Patterns of genetic diversity reveal multiple introductions and recurrent founder effects during range expansion in invasive populations of Geranium carolinianum (Geraniaceae)

Genetic diversity, and thus the adaptive potential of invasive populations, is largely based on three factors: patterns of genetic diversity in the species' native range, the number and location of introductions, and the number of founding individuals per introduction. Specifically, reductions in genetic diversity ("founder effects") should be stronger for species with low within-population diversity in their native range and few introductions of few individuals to the invasive range. We test these predictions with Geranium carolinianum, a winter annual herb native to North America and invasive in China. We measure the extent of founder effects using allozymes and microsatellites, and ask whether this is consistent with its colonization history and patterns of diversity in the native range. In the native range, genetic diversity is higher and structure is lower than expected based on life-history traits. In China, our results provide evidence for multiple introductions near Nanjing, Jiangsu province, with subsequent range expansion to the west and south. Patterns of genetic diversity across China reveal weak founder effects that are driven largely by low- diversity populations at the expansion front, away from the introduction location. This suggests that reduced diversity in China has resulted from successive founder events during range expansion, and that the loss of genetic diversity in the Nanjing area was mitigated by multiple introductions from diverse source populations. This has implications for the future of G. carolinianum in China, as continued gene flow among populations should eventually increase genetic diversity within the more recently founded populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of peripheral populations of beech in Central Italy

Fragmentation can affect the demographic and genetic structure of populations near the boundary of their bio-geographic range. Higher genetic differentiation among populations coupled with lower level of within population variability is expected as a consequence of reduced population size and isolation. The effects of these two factors have been rarely disentangled. Given their high gene flow, anemophilous forest trees should be more affected, in terms of loss of genetic diversity, by small population size rather than geographic isolation alone. We studied the impact of distance from the main range (a measure of isolation) and reduced population size on the within and among population components of genetic variability. We assayed 11 isozyme loci in 27 marginal populations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Central Italy. Populations were divided in three groups with an increasing level of fragmentation. In the most fragmented group the within population genetic variability was slightly smaller and the among population differentiation significantly larger than in the other two groups. These results support the role of random genetic drift having a larger impact on the most fragmented group, while gene flow seems to balance genetic drift in the two less fragmented ones. Given that average distance from the main range is not different between the intermediate and the most fragmented group, but average population size is smaller, we can conclude that gene flow is effective, even at relatively long distances, in balancing the effect of fragmentation if population size is not too small.

opencc-zeroDec 2011View details →
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Data from: Genome-wide assessment of population structure and genetic diversity and development of a core germplasm set for sweet potato based on specific length amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing

Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., is an important food crop that is cultivated worldwide. However, no genome-wide assessment of the genetic diversity of sweet potato has been reported to date. In the present study, the population structure and genetic diversity of 197 sweet potato accessions most of which were from China were assessed using 62,363 SNPs. A model-based structure analysis divided the accessions into three groups: group 1, group 2 and group 3. The genetic relationships among the accessions were evaluated using a phylogenetic tree, which clustered all the accessions into three major groups. A principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the accessions were distributed according to their population structure. The mean genetic distance among accessions ranged from 0.290 for group 1 to 0.311 for group 3, and the mean polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.232 for group 1 to 0.251 for group 3. The mean minor allele frequency (MAF) ranged from 0.207 for group 1 to 0.222 for group 3. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the maximum diversity was within accessions (89.569%). Using CoreHunter software, a core set of 39 accessions was obtained, which accounted for approximately 19.8% of the total collection. The core germplasm set of sweet potato developed will be a valuable resource for future sweet potato improvement strategies.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Genetic diversity of oilseed rape fields and feral populations in the context of coexistence with GM crops

Despite growing concern about transgenes escaping from fields, few studies have analysed the genetic diversity of crops in an agroecosystem over several years. Accurate information about the dynamics and relationship of the genetic diversity of crops in an agroecosystem is essential for risk assessment and policies concerning the containment of genetically modified crops and their coexistence with crops grown by conventional practices. Here, we analysed the genetic diversity of oilseed rape plants from fields and feral populations over 4 years in an agricultural landscape of 41 km2. We used exact compatibility and maximum likelihood assignment methods to assign these plants to cultivars. Even pure lines and hybrid cultivar seed lots contained several genotypes. The cultivar diversity in fields reflected the conventional view of agroecosystems quite well: that is, there was a succession of cultivars, some grown for longer than others because of their good performance, some used for one year and then abandoned, and others gradually adopted. Three types of field emerged: fields sown with a single cultivar, fields sown with two cultivars, and unassigned fields (too many cultivars or unassigned plants to reliably assign the field). Field plant diversity was higher than expected, indicating the persistence of cultivars that were grown for only one year. The cultivar composition of feral populations was similar to that of field plants, with an increasing number of cultivars each year. By using genetic tools, we found a link between the cultivars of field plants in a particular year and the cultivars of feral population plants in the following year. Feral populations on road verges were more diverse than those on path verges. All of these findings are discussed in terms of their consequences in the context of coexistence with genetically modified crops.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
dryad32/100

Data from: Genetic diversity of the imperiled bath sponge Spongia officinalis Linnaeus, 1759 across the Mediterranean Sea: patterns of population differentiation and implications for taxonomy and conservation

The Mediterranean bath sponge Spongia officinalis is an iconic species with high socio-economic value and imperiled present and future status due to unregulated harvesting, mortality incidents and lack of established knowledge regarding its ecology. This study aims to assess genetic diversity and population structure of the species at different geographic sectors and levels of geographic distance along its distribution. For this purpose, 11 locations in the eastern Mediterranean (Aegean Sea), western Mediterranean (Provence coast), and the Strait of Gibraltar were sampled; specimens were analysed using partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences, along with a set of 8 microsatellite loci. According to our results (i) no genetic differentiation exists among the acknowledged Mediterranean morphotypes and presumably S. officinalis can be viewed as a single, morphologically variable species; (ii) a notable divergence was recorded in the Gibraltar region, indicating the possible existence of a cryptic species; (iii) restriction to gene flow was evidenced between the Aegean Sea and Provence giving two well-defined regional clusters, thus suggesting the existence of a phylogeographic break between the two systems; (iv) low levels of genetic structure, not correlated to geographic distance, were observed inside geographic sectors, implying mechanisms (natural or anthropogenic) that enhance dispersal and gene flow, promoting population connectivity; (v) the genetic diversity of S. officinalis is maintained high in most studied locations despite pressure from harvesting and the influence of devastating epidemics. These findings provide a basis towards the effective conservation and management of the species.

opencc-zeroDec 2010View details →
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Population fragmentation drives up genetic diversity in signals of individual identity

<p>Many species advertise their unique identity to conspecifics using dedicated individuality signals: one familiar example is human faces. But how unique in the global population do these signals need to be? While human faces are highly variable, each person interacts with many fewer individuals than are found in the total population. This raises the question of how evolutionary mechanisms drive up population-wide diversity when selection occurs at such a local level. We use an individual-based model in which individuals broadcast their identity and quality in separate, genetically-coded signals. Mimicking, for example, scent marking mammal species, females in the model assess males using the quality signal, then attempt to relocate the highest quality male using his identity signal. We ask how population fragmentation affects genetic diversity in the individual identity-signalling region under sexual selection, predicting one of two opposing outcomes: (1) divided populations evolve fewer signal variants globally, since repetition of signals is not costly when individuals interact only with local conspecifics, or (2) stochasticity in mutation and selection cause divergence among subpopulations, increasing the global number of signal variants. We show that local selection drives up global genetic diversity substantially in fragmented populations, even with extremely low rates of dispersal. Because new signal variants arise by mutation and then sweep through their subpopulation, a fragmented population has more global signal variation. This result furthers our understanding of how high levels of diversity in individuality signals are maintained.</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →
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Data from: Genetic diversity and population structure in South African, French and Argentinian Angora Goats from genome-wide SNP data

The Angora goat populations in Argentina (AR), France (FR) and South Africa (SA) have been kept geographically and genetically distinct. Due to country-specific selection and breeding strategies, there is a need to characterize the populations on a genetic level. In this study we analysed genetic variability of Angora goats from three distinct geographical regions using the standardized 50k Goat SNP Chip. A total of 104 goats (AR: 30; FR: 26; SA: 48) were genotyped. Heterozygosity values as well as inbreeding coefficients across all autosomes per population were calculated. Diversity, as measured by expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.371 in the SA population to 0.397 in the AR population. The SA goats were the only population with a positive average inbreeding coefficient value of 0.009. After merging the three datasets, standard QC and LD-pruning, 15 105 SNPs remained for further analyses. Principal component and clustering analyses were used to visualize individual relationships within and between populations. All SA Angora goats were separated from the others and formed a well-defined, unique cluster, while outliers were identified in the FR and AR breeds. Apparent admixture between the AR and FR populations was observed, while both these populations showed signs of having some common ancestry with the SA goats. LD averaged over adjacent loci within the three populations per chromosome were calculated. The highest LD values estimated across populations were observed in the shorter intervals across populations. The Ne for the Angora breed was estimated to be 149 animals ten generations ago indicating a declining trend. Results confirmed that geographic isolation and different selection strategies caused genetic distinctiveness between the populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Genetic diversity maintained among fragmented populations of a tree undergoing range contraction

Dwarf birch (Betula nana) has a widespread boreal distribution but has declined significantly in Britain where populations are now highly fragmented. We analysed the genetic diversity of these fragmented populations using markers that differ in mutation rate: conventional microsatellites markers (PCR-SSRs), RADseq generated transition and transversion SNPs (RAD-SNPs), and microsatellite markers mined from RADseq reads (RAD-SSRs). We estimated the current population sizes by census and indirectly, from the linkage disequilibrium found in the genetic surveys. The two types of estimate were highly correlated. Overall we found genetic diversity to be only slightly lower in Britain than across a comparable area in Scandinavia where populations are large and continuous. Whilst the ensemble of British fragments maintain diversity levels close to Scandinavian populations, individually they have drifted apart and lost diversity; particularly the smaller populations. An ABC analysis, based on coalescent models, favours demographic scenarios in which Britain maintained high levels of genetic diversity through post-glacial recolonisation. This diversity has subsequently been partitioned into population fragments that have recently lost diversity at a rate corresponding to the current population-size estimates. We conclude that the British population fragments retain sufficient genetic resources to be the basis of conservation and re-planting programmes. Use of markers with different mutation rates gives us greater confidence and insight than one marker set could have alone, and we suggest that RAD-SSRs are particularly useful as high mutation rate marker set with a well-specified ascertainment bias, which are widely available yet often neglected in existing RAD datasets.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
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Population structure and genetic diversity of sheep breeds in the Kyrgyzstan

<p><span>Sheep are a main livestock </span><span>species of Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country with predominating mountain terrain. </span>The current gene pool of local sheep resources has been forming under diverse climate conditions from the era of the trading caravans of the Great Silk Road, through the Soviet period of <span>large-scale livestock improvements</span>, which was followed by the deep crisis at the end of the 20th century, up to now. However, not much is known about the genetic background and variability of the local sheep populations. Therefore, our aims were to provide a characterization of the population structure and genetic relations within the Kyrgyz sheep breeds and to study their genetic connections with the global sheep breeds using SNP analysis. Samples of the Alai (n=31), Gissar (n=30), Kyrgyz coarse wool (n=13), Aykol (n=31), and Tien-Shan (n=24) breeds were genotyped with the OvineSNP50 BeadChip or the <span>Ovine Infinium HD BeadChip </span>(Illumina Inc., USA). The measure of inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity showed a minimum value in the Aykol breed (F<sub>ROH</sub> = 0.034), while the maximum was found in the Alai breed (F<sub>ROH</sub> = 0.071). Short ROH segments (ROH≤4Mb) were predominant in all breeds. Long ROH segments (ROH&gt;16Mb) were absent in the Gissar breed. The Gissar and Aykol breeds had the highest values of the effective population sizes estimated for five generations ago (<i>Ne<sub>5</sub>=</i>660 and 563), whereas the Alai and Kyrgyz coarse wool displayed lower values (<i>Ne<sub>5</sub> </i>=176 and 128, respectively). The synthetic origin of the Aykol breed was clearly evidenced by all analyses applied. Based on the network and admixture analyses of the Kyrgyz and global sheep breeds, the Tien-Shan and the Russian semi-fine wool breeds demonstrated a common ancestry that most likely is due to a contribution of the Lincoln breed. The Gissar, Aykol and Kyrgyz coarse wool breeds showed a genetic background predominating in sheep populations from Iran and China whereas the Alai demonstrated the different ancestry type. The revealed admixture patterns probably resulted from the exchange and trade during the era of the Great Silk Road, which partly overlapped with historical and archeological findings.</p>

opencc-zeroNov 2019View details →
dryad32/100

A comparison of neutral genetic differentiation and genetic diversity among migratory and resident populations of Golden-crowned-Kinglets (Regulus satrapa)

<p>Many animals migrate seasonally between breeding and non-breeding territories and these annual movements can have a profound effect on population genetic structure. We genotyped 283 individuals from 11 populations at seven variable microsatellite loci and compared patterns of neutral genetic differentiation and neutral genetic diversity among migratory and resident breeding populations of the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), a widespread North American songbird. We predicted that resident populations would exhibit greater genetic differentiation and lower genetic diversity than migratory populations because migratory behaviour is thought to enhance gene flow. The magnitude of genetic differentiation and genetic diversity among migratory and resident populations was comparable, and the greatest levels of differentiation were observed for pairwise comparisons between Ontario and all western populations. Distance-based redundancy models and redundancy models revealed that patterns of neutral genetic differentiation and neutral genetic diversity follow an isolation-by-distance model and are not correlated with migratory behaviour. Overall it appears that genetic patterns are more closely associated with Pleistocene glacial history as proposed in a previous study.</p>

opencc-zeroFeb 2020View details →
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Data from: Conservation of old individual trees and small populations is integral to maintain species' genetic diversity of a historically fragmented woody perennial

Historically fragmented and specialised habitats such as granite outcrops are understudied globally unique hotspots of plant evolution. In contrast to predictions based on mainstream population genetics theory, some granite outcrop plants appear to have persisted as very small populations despite prolonged geographic and genetic isolation. Eucalyptus caesia Benth. is a long-lived lignotuberous tree endemic with a naturally fragmented distribution on granite outcrops in south-western Australia. To quantify population to landscape level genetic structure we employed microsatellite genotyping at 14 loci of all plants in 18 stands of E. caesia. Sampled stands were characterised by low levels of genetic diversity, small absolute population sizes, localised clonality and strong fine-scale genetic sub-division. There was no significant relationship between population size and levels of heterozygosity. At the landscape scale, high levels of population genetic differentiation were most pronounced among representatives of the two subspecies in E. caesia as originally circumscribed. Past genetic interconnection was evident between some geographical neighbours separated by up to 20 kilometres. Paradoxically, other pairs of neighbouring stands as little as 7 kilometres apart were genetically distinct. There was no consistent pattern of isolation by distance across the 280 km range of E. caesia. Low levels of gene flow, together with strong drift within stands, provides some explanation of the patterns of genetic differentiation we observed. Individual genet longevity via the ability to repeatedly re-sprout and expand from a lignotuber may enhance the persistence of some woody perennial endemic plants despite small population size, minimal genetic interconnection and low heterozygosity.

opencc-zeroJul 2019View details →
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Data from: Partial support for the central–marginal hypothesis within a population: reduced genetic diversity but not increased differentiation at the range edge of an island endemic bird

Large-scale population comparisons have contributed to our understanding of the evolution of geographic range limits and species boundaries, as well as the conservation value of populations at range margins. The central–marginal hypothesis (CMH) predicts a decline in genetic diversity and an increase in genetic differentiation toward the periphery of species' ranges due to spatial variation in genetic drift and gene flow. Empirical studies on a diverse array of taxa have demonstrated support for the CMH. However, nearly all such studies come from widely distributed species, and have not considered if the same processes can be scaled down to single populations. Here, we test the CMH on a species composed of a single population: the Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis), endemic to a 250 km2 island. We examined microsatellite data from a quarter of the total population and found that homozygosity increased toward the island's periphery. However, peripheral portions of the island did not exhibit higher genetic differentiation. Simulations revealed that highly localized dispersal and small total population size, but not spatial variation in population density, were critical for generating fine-scale variation in homozygosity. Collectively, these results demonstrate that microevolutionary processes driving spatial variation in genetic diversity among populations can also be important for generating spatial variation in genetic diversity within populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Genetic diversity and population structure of Trypanosoma brucei in Uganda: implications for the epidemiology of sleeping sickness and Nagana

Background: While Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is in decline on the continent of Africa, the disease still remains a major health problem in Uganda. There are recurrent sporadic outbreaks in the traditionally endemic areas in south-east Uganda, and continued spread to new unaffected areas in central Uganda. We evaluated the evolutionary dynamics underpinning the origin of new foci and the impact of host species on parasite genetic diversity in Uganda. We genotyped 269 Trypanosoma brucei isolates collected from different regions in Uganda and southwestern Kenya at 17 microsatellite loci, and checked for the presence of the SRA gene that confers human infectivity to T. b. rhodesiense. Results: Both Bayesian clustering methods and Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components partition Trypanosoma brucei isolates obtained from Uganda and southwestern Kenya into three distinct genetic clusters. Clusters 1 and 3 include isolates from central and southern Uganda, while cluster 2 contains mostly isolates from southwestern Kenya. These three clusters are not sorted by subspecies designation (T. b. brucei vs T. b. rhodesiense), host or date of collection. The analyses also show evidence of genetic admixture among the three genetic clusters and long-range dispersal, suggesting recent and possibly on-going gene flow between them. Conclusions: Our results show that the expansion of the disease to the new foci in central Uganda occurred from the northward spread of T. b. rhodesiense (Tbr). They also confirm the emergence of the human infective strains (Tbr) from non-infective T. b. brucei (Tbb) strains of different genetic backgrounds, and the importance of cattle as Tbr reservoir, as confounders that shape the epidemiology of sleeping sickness in the region.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →
zenodo32/100

Supplementary material 1 from: Degtjarenko P, Jüriado I, Mandel T, Tõrra T, Saag A, Scheidegger C, Randlane T (2019) Microsatellite based genetic diversity of the widespread epiphytic lichen Usnea subfloridana (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in Estonia: comparison of populations from the mainland and an island. MycoKeys 58: 27-45. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.58.36557

Supplementary material 1 from: Degtjarenko P, Jüriado I, Mandel T, Tõrra T, Saag A, Scheidegger C, Randlane T (2019) Microsatellite based genetic diversity of the widespread epiphytic lichen Usnea subfloridana (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in Estonia: comparison of populations from the mainland and an island. MycoKeys 58: 27-45. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.58.36557

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

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Allen Brain Atlas

Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.

allen-brain-atlas
neuroscienceopenDocumentation, web resources, and API references are available online.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)

ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.

abode-home-cage
behavioral-neuroscienceopenThe DataShare record exposes download links for annotations, documentation, license text, and the zipped per-snippet data directory.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

DANDI Archive for NWB datasets

DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.

dandi-nwb
electrophysiologyopenPublished Dandiset metadata and archive endpoints are available through the production DANDI API.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

International Brain Laboratory public data

The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.

ibl
behavioral-neuroscienceopenPublic sessions can be searched and loaded from the IBL public data server through ONE.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

OpenNeuro

OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.

openneuro
neuroscienceopenPublished datasets are available on demand over the internet.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record