Significant population genetic structuring but a lack of phylogeographic structuring in the endemic Tasmanian tree frog (Litoria burrowsae)

Conservation of frogs is of global concern, owing to declines resulting from habitat destruction, global climate change, and disease. Knowledge of genetic variation in frog species is therefore desirable for the identification of management units. Here we surveyed mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in the Tasmanian endemic hylid frog Litoria burrowsae, which is infected by chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and may be declining. Neither phylogeographic structure nor deep phylogenetic divergence was detected in the species, although its populations were highly differentiated with respect to haplotype frequencies. The low-haplotype diversity in L. burrowsae suggests a recent bottleneck in the species, and population genetic structuring may reflect isolation by distance as well as founder effects associated with range expansion. Three putative management units were identified that require verification based on nuclear DNA variation and adaptation to local environments.