Genetic structure among remnant populations of a migratory passerine, the Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

Continuous animal populations often become fragmented due to anthropogenic habitat alterations. These small, fragmented populations are fragile due to demographic and genetic factors, whereas immigration can enhance their long‐term viability. Previously, we showed that high philopatry affected the l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ibis (London, England) England), 2016-10, Vol.158 (4), p.857-867
Main Authors: van Oosten, H. Herman, Mueller, Jakob C., Ottenburghs, Jente, Both, Christiaan, Kempenaers, Bart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal population
Animal populations
Anthropogenic factors
Biomarkers
Bird migration
Birds
Colour
Demographics
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Dispersal
Dispersion
DNA
F ST
FST
Gene flow
Genetic drift
Genetic factors
Genetic markers
Genetic structure
Genetic structuring
Genomes
Habitats
Heterozygosity
IMa2
Immigration
Inbreeding
Lowlands
Microsatellite
Microsatellites
Mitochondrial DNA
MtDNA
Oenanthe
Oenanthe oenanthe
Ornithology
Philopatry
Population genetics
Population viability
Populations
Probability theory
Recolonization
Songbird
Stochasticity
Subpopulations
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Summary:Continuous animal populations often become fragmented due to anthropogenic habitat alterations. These small, fragmented populations are fragile due to demographic and genetic factors, whereas immigration can enhance their long‐term viability. Previously, we showed that high philopatry affected the local dynamics of three small and remnant subpopulations of Northern Wheatears in The Netherlands. Here, we show that these three populations together with an additional larger population in the European lowlands are highly genetically differentiated based on 22 microsatellite markers. In contrast, we found no evidence for differentiation using two mitochondrial DNA markers. An IMa2 analysis indicates that gene flow has occurred regularly among our sampled populations. As immigration of colour‐ringed birds among our sampled populations is rare at best, our results suggest that the populations have recently become isolated from one another. Low dispersal rates in highly mobile birds may occur when suitable habitat becomes highly fragmented, and will accentuate stochastic demographic processes and inbreeding, both reducing population viability. As dispersal rates are low among populations of Northern Wheatears in The Netherlands, there is only a small probability of recolonization of habitat patches where populations have become locally extinct.
ISSN:0019-1019
1474-919X
DOI:10.1111/ibi.12393