Landscape genetics of the protected Spanish Moon Moth in core, buffer, and peripheral areas of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Central Pyrenees, Spain)
Résumé
One of the conservation projects carried out by the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is
the monitoring of the protected Spanish Moon Moth, Graellsia isabellae (Saturniidae), in several
sites within the actual park, buffer zone, and peripheral area. Here we studied the genetic
diversity, geographical structure, and connectivity of this iconic insect in those areas with the
aim of producing evidence-based recommendations that might help the National Park staff in
their decision-making. For this, we non-lethally sampled 402 adult moths from 17 sites and
worked at two geographic scales: Western/Central Pyrenees and the area monitored by the
staff of the National Park. The multilocus genotypes obtained for nine nuclear microsatellite
markers allowed us to quantify genetic variation, investigate population structure, and calculate
recent migration rates. Our results revealed a large-scale (ca. 125 km) west–east cline in allele
frequencies that causes low overall genetic differentiation (FST = 0.038) and similar levels of
diversity among sites. Habitat connectivity revealed as an important element determining
dispersal for G. isabellae, given the patchy distribution of the host plant (Pinus sylvestris) in the
study area. Gene flow within and outside the National Park was proved, with a particular site of
the buffer zone (Bujaruelo) acting as a source of migrants to other localities within and outside
the National Park. This finding underlines the importance of considering buffer zones to preserve
genetic diversity within protected areas, and that safeguarding the connectedness of pine patches
is key to the conservation of this iconic moth.