Population genetic structure of brown bears in the Dinaric-Pindos regionHočevar, Špela (Avtor) Stronen, Astrid Vik (Mentor) Skrbinšek, Tomaž (Komentor) Ursus arctospopulation genetic structureDinaric-Pindos populationconnectivitytransboundarygene flowWide-ranging species such as the brown bear occur at low densities and require large areas to support long-term sustainable populations and are often sensitive to human-caused habitat fragmentation and disturbance. Although these species are capable of dispersing long distances, in some cases moving over several hundred kilometers, landscape modifications and other human development including major highways can limit dispersal and gene flow. It is generally considered that the Dinaric-Pindos population is a single population of brown bear, however, little is known about connectivity and gene flow within this population. We explored genetic structure of Dinaric-Pindos population using samples from across this populations’ area. The results from different methods consistently showed apparent structuring between the samples from the Dinaric part of the population and the Pindos part. Since our sampling still had a gap between Montenegro (most south Dinaric samples we had) and Prespa Lake Region (Pindos samples), we cannot know if there is some part of the population that would be intermediate between Dinaric and Pindos subpopulations, but the structuring would still be evident. The most probable explanation for the structuring are historic bottlenecks and fragmentation. In the past when the numbers of brown bears were smaller, the effects of the spatial barriers and fragmentation could have been stronger, since genetic drift increases in small and isolated population fragments and can cause rapid genetic differentiation between them. These genetic differences may indicate that there are (sub)populations that are demographically separated, which should be considered in management and conservation decisions. For this reason, we think that a coordinated transboundary monitoring of the entire Dinaric-Pindos region is essential for understanding connectivity and gene flow within this population and for its long-term conservation.[Š. Hočevar]20252025-05-30 07:15:19Magistrsko delo/naloga169475UDK: 599.744.211:575.17(234.42)(043.2)VisID: 257390COBISS_ID: 238662659sl