Population genomics of Uperoleia daviesae (Anura: Myobatrachidae) highlights the vulnerability of naturally fragmented short-range endemics to urban development

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint. You must log in to post a comment. There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint. Add a Comment You must log in to post a comment. Comments There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. Urbanisation and land use change threaten short-range endemic amphibians. Uperoleia daviesae, the Howard River toadlet, is a threatened frog species endemic to sandsheet heath, a unique, naturally patchy mosaic of habitats near Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly and performed genome-wide SNP analyses using data from 115 individuals across 15 sites to assess dispersal patterns, genetic diversity, anthropogenic impacts, and conservation targets. Our findings reveal a history of past connectivity, followed by recent genetic subdivision, partly due to urban expansion. Regions 2 (north of Girraween and Humpty Doo) and 3 (south of Bees Creek and Lloyd Creek) contain most of the genetic diversity within the species. The two isolated populations, Region 1 (north of Howard Springs) and Region 4 (near Wickham and Weddell), each harbour unique alleles. We recommend treating local populations as a metapopulation and developing targeted conservation actions in each region. In-situ conservation actions, such as establishing protected areas or translocation, should be considered to maintain gene flow and genetic diversity. These findings provide a foundation for evidence-based management of U. daviesae and contribute to broader discussions on the conservation of short-range endemic species in increasingly urbanised landscapes. https://doi.org/10.32942/X2237X Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Uperoleia daviesae, population genom, urbanisation impacts, short-range endemic species, conservation management Published: 2026-03-10 20:13 Last Updated: 2026-03-10 20:13 CC BY Attribution 4.0 International Conflict of interest statement: None Data and Code Availability Statement: The datasets generated analysed during the current study will be available on the sequence read archive after acceptance. Language: English