Genetic implications of phylogeographical patterns in the conservation of the boreal wetland butterfly Colias palaeno (Pieridae) KATJA KRAMP 1,2 *, OLDRICH CIZEK 3,4,5 , PEDRO M. MADEIRA 6 , ANA A. RAMOS 6 , MARTIN KONVICKA 4,7 , RITA CASTILHO 6 and THOMAS SCHMITT 1,2,8 1 Senckenberg German Entomological Institute, 15374, M € uncheberg, Germany 2 Department of Biogeography, Trier University, 54296, Trier, Germany 3 Hutur NGO, J. Purkyne 1616, 50002, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic 4 Faculty of Sciences, University South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic 5 Faculty of Environment, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 961, 165 21 Praha, Czech Republic 6 Centro de Ci ^ encias do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal 7 Institute of Entomology, Biological Centre CAS, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic 8 Department of Zoology, Faculty Natural Sciences I, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099, Halle (Saale), Germany Received 26 February 2016; revised 27 April 2016; accepted for publication 28 April 2016 The boreo-montane wetland butterfly species Colias palaeno has a European distribution from the Alps to northern Fennoscandia. Within its European range, the species’ populations have shrunk dramatically in recent historical times. Therefore, detailed baseline knowledge of the genetic makeup of the species is pivotal in planning potential conservation strategies. We collected 523 individuals from 21 populations across the entire European range and analyzed nuclear (20 allozyme loci) and mitochondrial (600 bp of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) genetic markers. The markers revealed contrasting levels of genetic diversity and divergence: higher in allozymes and lower in mitochondrial sequences. Five main groups were identified by allozymes: Alps, two Czech groups, Baltic countries, Fennoscandia, and Poland. The haplotype mitochondrial network indicates a recent range expansion. The most parsimonious interpretation for our results is the existence of a continuous W€ urm glacial distribution in Central Europe, with secondary disjunction during the Last Glacial Maximum into a south-western and a north-eastern fragment and subsequent moderate differentiation. Both groups present signs of postglacial intermixing in the Czech Republic. However, even a complete extinction in this region would not considerably affect the species’ genetic basis, as long as the source populations in the Alps and in northern Europe, comprising the most relevant evolutionary units for conservation, are surviving. © 2016 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 119, 1068–1081. KEYWORDS: allozyme electrophoresis – cytochrome oxidase I – genetic structure – moorland clouded yel- low – peat bogs – phylogeography. INTRODUCTION A comprehensive understanding of biogeographical patterns is an important prerequisite for the successful establishment of conservation measures. In this context, the biogeography of many animal and plant species has been studied intensively in Europe (Hewitt, 2004; Schmitt, 2007). Indeed, the biogeographical structures of Mediterranean species are particularly well known (Schmitt, 2007), and *Corresponding author. E-mail: katja.kramp@senckenberg.de 1068 © 2016 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 119, 1068–1081 Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 119, 1068–1081. With 5 figures. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-abstract/119/4/1068/2705741 by guest on 25 May 2020