Parnassius smintheus ddRADseq dataset
Both average and extreme weather conditions are important drivers of population growth and decline, which in turn affects patterns of genetic diversity. Based on mark-recapture studies, population growth in Parnassius smintheus - the Rocky Mountain Apollo butterfly - is predicted by early winter weather (including temperature and snow depth). Using double digest RAD sequencing, we genotyped 431 individuals from 21 meadows in Alberta, Canada to determine whether patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation were also predicted by average and extreme early winter weather. We found that both snow depth and the number of extreme low temperature events in November were important predictors of both genetic diversity and differentiation.