Phylogeographic origin and genetic diversity of dunlin Calidris alpina in Svalbard

• Published in: Polar biology Vol. 31; no. 11; pp. 1409 - 1420
• Main Authors: Marthinsen, Gunnhild, Wennerberg, Liv, Pierce, Elin P., Lifjeld, Jan T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.10.2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic diversity; Genetic structure; Genetics; Haplotypes; Inbreeding; Life Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Mitochondrial DNA; Oceanography; Original Paper; Particular ecosystems; Plant Sciences; Studies; Synecology; Taxonomy; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wildfowl; Zoology; Svalbard; Arctic Region; Norway; Svalbard Islands; Z-chromosome intron; Microsatellites; mtDNA; Taxonomy; AFLP; VLDLR-9; Population genetics; Phylogeography; Chromosome; Mitochondrial DNA; Genetic diversity; Limicolous; Biodiversity; Climatic zone; Vertebrata; Calidris alpina; Intron; Population genetics, Taxonomy, VLDLR-9; Polar region; Aves; Amplified fragment length polymorphism marker
• ISSN: 0722-4060; 1432-2056
• DOI: 10.1007/s00300-008-0480-6

We investigated the genetic structure of the presumably small (10–100 pairs) and isolated dunlin ( Calidris alpina ) population breeding in Svalbard, and compared it with similar data recently published from several dunlin populations in the western Palearctic and East Greenland. Using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers, as well as data on bill lengths, we sought to infer the phylogeographic origin of Svalbard dunlins and assess their within-population level of genetic diversity. Only dunlins with haplotypes of the European mtDNA clade (EUR) were found in Svalbard, indicating a close resemblance to dunlin populations in East Greenland and Iceland. Microsatellite data for Svalbard dunlins, as well as their short bills, also supported a western origin. The Svalbard population did not show signs of inbreeding or reduced levels of genetic diversity compared to other investigated populations, which suggests that the population was recently founded or is currently subject to considerable gene flow.