Genetic structure of the continuous and ephemeral populations of the land snail Brephulopsis Cylindrica (Gastropoda; Pulmonata; Enidae)

Abstract

We analyzed the genetic structure of continuous and ephemeral populations of the land snails B. cylindrica. Based on the obtained results, we conclude that small, isolated animal populations (including, urban) tend to reduce the level of genetic diversity, which arises due to the manifestation of genetic and stochastic processes (the genetic drift or founder effect). An important consequence of the latter is the relatively high rate of random changes in genotypic profiles in small populations, which leads to a significant increase in the level of genetic differentiation between them.