Comparative genetic structure reflects underlying life histories of three sympatric small mammal species in continuous forest of south-eastern Australia

There are strong links between habitat fragmentation, population size and genetic structure. However, to fully understand the long-term effects of fragmentation on population viability, it is necessary to first understand the relationship between life history traits and genetic characteristics in un-fragmented habitats. This is best done through comparing patterns of genetic diversity in sympatric species, since relative data may be maximally informative. We compared genetic structure and diversity among three sympatric small mammals - of which two were marsupial species - over a small spatial scale (