Population Genomics and Structure of the Critically Endangered Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi)

Genes

Nandadevi Cortes-Rodriguez¹  MichaelG. Campana¹  ScottR. Derrickson¹  RebeccaB. Dikow¹  RobertC. Fleischer¹  Christian Rutz²  Lainie Berry³  ReneeRobinette Ha⁴  Sarah Faegre⁴ 

[1] Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA;Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK;Department of Land and Natural Resources, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA;Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;

关键词: Mariana Crow;    SNPs;    Population genomics;    Conservation;    Inbreeding;    Population decline;   

DOI  :  10.3390/genes10030187

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The Mariana Crow, or Åga (Corvus kubaryi), is a critically endangered species (IUCN -International Union for Conservation of Nature), endemic to the islands of Guam and Rota in the Mariana Archipelago. It is locally extinct on Guam, and numbers have declined dramatically on Rota to a historical low of less than 55 breeding pairs throughout the island in 2013. Because of its extirpation on Guam and population decline on Rota, it is of critical importance to assess the genetic variation among individuals to assist ongoing recovery efforts. We conducted a population genomics analysis comparing the Guam and Rota populations and studied the genetic structure of the Rota population. We used blood samples from five birds from Guam and 78 birds from Rota. We identified 145,552 candidate single nucleotide variants (SNVs) from a genome sequence of an individual from Rota and selected a subset of these to develop an oligonucleotide in-solution capture assay. The Guam and Rota populations were genetically differentiated from each other. Crow populations sampled broadly across their range on Rota showed significant genetic structuring – a surprising result given the small size of this island and the good flight capabilities of the species. Knowledge of its genetic structure will help improve management strategies to help with its recovery.

【 授权许可】

Unknown