Range‑wide genomic scans and tests for selection identify non‑neutral spatial patterns of genetic variation in a non‑model amphibian species (Pelobates cultripes)

Adaptive genetic diversity is a key factor in conservation planning as it relates to the evolutionary potential of populations and their responses to environmental change. Developments in landscape genomics have fostered a proliferation of tests for selection that aim to identify candidate adaptive markers in natural populations. However, these tests rely on diferent assumptions and may produce contrasting results. Here we applied six tests for selection in a range-wide genomic scan of an Iberian amphibian, Pelobates cultripes, which shows spatially structured genetic variation across its range, encompassing diferent bioclimatic zones. As a cursory scan for selection, one test identifed candidate markers that describe a pattern of putatively adaptive genetic variation, highlighting coastal Atlantic localities as exhibiting putatively non-neutral patterns of genetic variation. While generalized genomic scans for selection in non-model species have limitations, exploratory searches can highlight areas to guide subsequent hypothesis-driven studies and conservation eforts.This work was developed under the project PTDC/BIA-BIC/3545/2014, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). AJDM, JOH, MCS, SBC, PT, GVA and AV were funded through national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (CEECIND/01464/2017, ICETA/EEC2018/16, DL57/2016/CP1440/CT0008, CEECIND/00937/2018, and DL57/2016, respectively).Peer reviewe