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Strong Founder Effects And Low Genetic Diversity In Introduced Populations Of Coqui Frogs, Karen H. Beard

Karen H. Beard

The success of non-native species may depend on the genetic resources maintained through the invasion process. The Coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui), a frog endemic to Puerto Rico, was introduced to Hawaii in the late 1980s via the horticulture trade, and has become an aggressive invader. To explore whether genetic diversity and population structure changed with the introduction, we assessed individuals from 15 populations across the Hawaiian Islands and 13 populations across Puerto Rico using six to nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and five dorsolateral colour patterns. Allelic richness (R(T)) and gene diversity were significantly higher in Puerto Rico than in Hawaii populations. …