High Diversity and Low Genetic Differentiation Among Geographic Populations of Myotis yumanensis in Western Canada

Myotis yumanensis is a small insectivorous bat distributed in Western North America and is susceptible to white-nose syndrome, a devastating fungal disease. Effective management of the disease in M. yumanensis requires an understanding of its population structure to identify possible routes and barriers of disease transmission. Here we used nine microsatellite loci to investigate genetic variation among 336 M. yumanensis from 10 locations in Western Canada. Our analyses revealed high genetic diversity and low but statistically significant genetic differentiation among several geographic populations. Interestingly, though geographically it was not the most distant, the Lillooet population showed the highest genetic differentiation from others, suggesting factors other than geographic distance also contributed to gene flow in this species. While white-nose syndrome has been reported in M. yumanensis populations in neighbouring Washington State in the United States of America, as of 2023, the causative pathogen was not detected on the wings of our analyzed 336 M. yumanensis bats in Western Canada. However, continuing monitoring is required to provide the most updated information about the white-nose syndrome status in these populations. The knowledge of M. yumanensis population structure in Western Canada will help develop effective management strategies for protecting this bat species from white-nose syndrome.