Microsatellite data of three carrion beetles
Data files
Feb 09, 2026 version files 114.19 KB
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Genepop_NL.csv
43.69 KB
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Genepop_NV.csv
38.15 KB
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Genepop_OT.csv
31.91 KB
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README.md
433 B
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation and loss globally threatens biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Fragmentation disrupts gene flow and isolates populations, endangering species persistence. Dispersal ability is critical for species to maintain gene flow among populations and colonising new habitats. However, most species' dispersal abilities are unknown, raising the question of whether species are dispersal or habitat limited. Carrion beetles recycle animal necromass, an important ecosystem function. In theory, species depending on ephemeral resources such as carrion have good dispersal abilities to colonise new habitat patches regularly. However, little is known about the dispersal capacity of carrion beetles. To infer such dispersal abilities, we investigated the population Genetiv structure of three common carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Silphinae): Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst, Necrodes littoralis Linnaeus and Oiceoptoma thoracicum Linnaeus. We sampled individuals using liver‐baited pitfall traps and laid out carcasses in 47 sites in four regions in southern Germany. The distances between sampling sites ranged from 100 m to 320 km. We used microsatellite markers to assess population genetic structure and gene flow at local and regional spatial scales. Markers were newly developed for N. littoralis and O. thoracicum . Pairwise F ST , AMOVA and DAPC analyses revealed no significant population genetic structure within all three species, indicating no limitation in gene flow, even over long distances. Our data suggest excellent dispersal abilities in all three species without critical spatial limitation at the regional scale of our study. This implies that carrion management should focus more on habitat amount rather than spatial arrangements for the conservation of carrion insects.
Data contain raw microsatellite Data of three carrion beetles: Nicrophorus vespilloides (Genepop_NV.csv), Necrodes littoralis (Genepop_NL.csv) and Oiceopthoma thoracicum (Genepop_OT.csv). Data contain alleles for each of the six tested loci per species in the Genepop format. The first column represents the individuals, second the population each individual originates from, and all other columns represent the microsatellite loci.
- Schauer, Bastian; Dutschke, Marvin; Heurich, Marco et al. (2025). No genetic differentiation among populations up to 300 km apart in three species of carrion beetles. Ecological Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13459
