Untersuchungen zu Ausbreitungspotenzial, Konnektivität und Verbreitung des Kammmolchs (Triturus cristatus Laurenti, 1768) in Sachsen-Anhalt

Abstract

Grosse, W.-R.; Meyer, S: Investigations of the potential of expansion, distances between populations and distribution of the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) in Saxony-Anhalt. – Hercynia N.F. 41 (2008): 121–134.A great crested newt population was studied at the former military airport in Merseburg in 2001 to 2002. Data on population size and genetic differentiation were collected. With about 5000 individuals this study site has the largest T. cristatus populations in the federal state Saxony-Anhalt. In the Merseburg region studied only two out of five studied populations were within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Number of alleles ranged from 2 to 9. For the population of Merseburg the values of heterozygosity (He) were in a moderate state from 0.53 to 0.65. Low values of FST between 0.003 and 0.092 indicated a high gene flow and a low genetic differentiation between populations. Isolation due to distance could not be detected in this area. Germany is the centre of distribution of the great crested newt in Europe. The distribution pattern is very heterogenuous in Saxony-Anhalt mainly caused by large landscape units: 42.5 % of the known populations are associated with only 16 distribution hotspots. In contrast great crested newt is evenly distributed in nearby regions such as the Ohre-Niederung, the Drömling and the northern edge of the Ohre-Aller-Hügelland.