Pedigree reconstruction reveals large scale movement patterns and population dynamics of wolverines (Gulo gulo) across Fennoscandia

Sammanfattning: Dispersal is a biological imperative for many species, facilitating gene flow and influencing population dynamics. Modern landscapes are increasingly fragmented, leaving species that rely on dispersal trapped in ever shrinking areas. Measuring connectivity at the population level is difficult using traditional tracking methods, especially for species that are rare or cryptic, but important for both theoretical and applied questions relating to animal movement. Using genetic monitoring data collected from 2004 to 2018, SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) genotyping was used to reconstruct pedigrees of wolverines from the whole of Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The resulting pedigree contained over 900 individuals, and six generations. These family triads were then used to identify patterns of natal dispersal for offspring, and breeding related movement between known mated pairs. The results reveal a metapopulation of several reproductive cores spread over three countries, with animals moving across borders in order to breed and disperse. Patterns of movement on this scale identify sources and sinks across the entire range, with little ambiguity due to sample size or study site. To achieve favourable conservation status, management scales should reflect the scales at which populations function.