Persistent panmixia despite extreme habitat loss and population decline in the threatened tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor)

Evolutionary Applications

Thomas B. Smith¹  Kelly Barr¹  Kristen Ruegg²  Annabel C. Beichman³  Pooneh Kalhori³  Jasmine Rajbhandary³  Rachael A. Bay⁴ 

[1] Center for Tropical Research Institute of the Environment and Sustainability University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USA;Department of Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA;Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USA;Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis CA USA;

关键词: conservation genetics;    demographic modeling;    effective population size;    gene flow;    genomics;    habitat loss;   

DOI  :  10.1111/eva.13147

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Habitat loss and alteration has driven many species into decline, often to the point of requiring protection and intervention to avert extinction. Genomic data provide the opportunity to inform conservation and recovery efforts with details about vital evolutionary processes with a resolution far beyond that of traditional genetic approaches. The tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) has suffered severe losses during the previous century largely due to anthropogenic impacts on their habitat. Using a dataset composed of a whole genome paired with reduced representation libraries (RAD‐Seq) from samples collected across the species’ range, we find evidence for panmixia using multiple methods, including PCA (no geographic clustering), admixture analyses (ADMIXTURE and TESS conclude K = 1), and comparisons of genetic differentiation (average FST = 0.029). Demographic modeling approaches recovered an ancient decline that had a strong impact on genetic diversity but did not detect any effect from the known recent decline. We also did not detect any evidence for selection, and hence adaptive variation, at any site, either geographic or genomic. These results indicate that species continues to have high vagility across its range despite population decline and habitat loss and should be managed as a single unit.

【 授权许可】

Unknown