The effects of weather variability on patterns of genetic diversity in Tasmanian bettongs

While the effects of climate (long-term, prevailing weather) on species abundance, range and genetic diversity have been widely studied, short-term, localized variations in atmospheric conditions (i.e., can also rapidly alter species’ geographical ranges population sizes, but little is known about how they affect diversity. We investigated relationship between weather range-wide a marsupial, Bettongia gaimardi, using dynamic distribution models (SDMs). Genetic was lower parts where weather-based SDM predicted high variability probability B. gaimardi occurrence during 1950–2009. This probably an effect sizes extinction–recolonization cycles places with highly variable weather. Spatial variation better by mean probabilities from weather- than climate-based SDMs. Our results illustrate importance driving dynamics distributions decadal timescales thereby affecting Modelling links changing patterns, will allow researchers to forecast biological impacts change.