Wood Frog Genetic Diversity Across Eastern North America

Comprising genetic and ecological data from 31 wood frog populations spanning from Alabama, USA, to Nova Scotia, Canada. It includes estimates of heterozygosity and allelic richness from 12 polymorphic microsatellites, alongside quantitative estimates of contemporary and historical ecological suitability derived from climate data. The data was collected by Sarah I. Duncan to test the core-periphery hypothesis.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between historical ecological suitability estimates and genetic diversity metrics like heterozygosity and allelic richness.
• Model population differentiation across the 31 sampled populations using microsatellite data to test predictions of the core-periphery hypothesis.
• Assess the relative influence of geography versus contemporary ecological suitability on patterns of genetic variation in wood frogs.
• Correlate latitude (from 33° to 45°) with levels of genetic variation to examine geographic patterns of diversity.

Strengths

• Data from 31 distinct populations provides spatial breadth across the species' eastern clade.
• Genetic analysis is based on 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers.
• Integrates both contemporary and historical (Last Glacial Maximum) climate data for ecological modeling.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 31 populations, which may constrain statistical power for some analyses.
• Geographic scope is restricted to the eastern clade of the wood frog, limiting generalizability to the full species range.
• Genetic data is from microsatellites only; lacks genomic-scale data like SNPs.

Provenance

Source

Dryad digital repository.

Collection Method

Genetic data from 12 polymorphic microsatellites; ecological suitability from niche models using current and historical climate data.

Time Range

Historical data includes the Last Glacial Maximum; contemporary data collection date unspecified.

Freshness

Last updated in June 2020.

Geography

Eastern North America, from Alabama, USA, to Nova Scotia, Canada (33° to 45° latitude).