Multi-species genetic patterns in a modified temperate forest from central Mexico.

This article focuses on assessing population genetic patterns in three species—Dryophytes eximius (mountain treefrog), Chrysina adelaida (jewel scarab beetle), and Hemitrichia calyculata (a myxomycete slime mold)—across a highly human-disturbed temperate forest landscape in central Mexico’s Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl and La Malinche National Parks. Using novel genomic data (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, SNPs), the study found significant genetic differentiation and spatial genetic structure only in D. eximius, with higher genetic diversity in more disturbed habitats, while C. adelaida and H. calyculata exhibited high genetic diversity but no detectable genetic structure, suggesting high gene flow despite landscape modification. The findings highlight the influence of species-specific ecological traits, such as dispersal ability, on genetic connectivity in fragmented landscapes and underscore the importance of multi-species genetic assessments to inform conservation and management strategies in regions undergoing rapid land-use change.