Abstract
The Iberian Peninsula harbours an “Endangered” population of the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), of less than five breeding pairs, restricted to a small geographical area, the Terra Chá district in Lugo (Galicia, Spain). These birds constitute the southernmost breeding nuclei of the species, located 550 km southwest from the nearest nesting sites in France. The present study aims to shed light on the genetic pattern of this population, and quantify the current levels of genetic diversity. We sequenced one mitochondrial gene and two nuclear introns of Eurasian Curlew sampled during the breeding season in Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Russian Federation. Overall, we observed low genetic variation among loci, including a monomorphic intron. Neither mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) nor nuclear DNA (nDNA) showed differentiation between the Iberian population and the European Curlew (Numenius arquata arquata). The Iberian birds share a single mtDNA haplotype, which is the most common among populations, and the four nDNA haplotypes present in the Iberian birds are shared with other populations, including that of the farmost Siberian Curlew (Numenius arquata orientalis). We could not reject the hypothesis of a recent colonization of the Iberian Peninsula by the European Curlew, but the lack of variation in the Iberian gene pool during the last decade suggests no current recruitment from other populations, which might impair the persistence of this peripheral breeding nucleus.
Zusammenfassung
Geringe genetische Diversität innerhalb der iberischen Brutpopulation des Großen Brachvogels ( Numenius arquata ), aber fehlende genetische Differenzierung zu anderen europäischen Brutpopulationen
Die Iberische Halbinsel beherbergt in der Region Terra Chá in der Provinz Lugo, Galizien, Spanien, mit weniger als fünf Brutpaaren eine sehr kleine, stark gefährdete Population des Großen Brachvogels (Numenius arquata). Dieses Vorkommen stellt das südlichste Brutvorkommen dieser Art in Europa dar und liegt 550 km südwestlich des nächsten Brutgebietes in Frankreich. Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung war es, das genetische Muster und die aktuelle genetische Diversität dieser Population zu untersuchen und zu quantifizieren. Aus Proben des Großen Brachvogels aus Spanien, Deutschland, Schweden und Russland wurden ein mitochondriales Gen und zwei Introns sequenziert. Insgesamt zeigt sich eine geringe genetische Variation unter den Genorten, einschließlich eines monomorphischen Introns. Sowohl mtDNA als auch nDNA zeigen keine Unterschiede zwischen der iberischen und den anderen europäischen Populationen des Großen Brachvogels (N. a. arquata). Die iberischen Vögel besitzen einen einzigen mtDNA-Haplotyp, den häufigsten unter allen Populationen dieser Art. Ferner wurden bei den spanischen Brachvögeln vier nDNA-Haplotypen nachgewiesen, die auch bei den anderen europäischen Populationen vorkommen, einschließlich der Populationen der östlichen Unterart N. a. orientalis. Aufgrund dieser Untersuchungen kann eine rezente Besiedlung der Iberischen Halbinsel durch den Großen Brachvogel nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Aber die geringe genetische Variation innerhalb des iberischen Genpools in den letzten zehn Jahren deutet darauf hin, dass kein aktueller Austausch zwischen der iberischen und den anderen europäischen Populationen besteht. Dies könnte das Fortbestehen dieses isolierten Vorkommens beeinträchtigen.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to Dr Ulf Johansson (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Sweden) and Dr Sharon Birks (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, USA) for providing us with samples for this study. We also thank Sergei V. Drovetski for his inputs in the early stages of this work. All samples were collected under appropriate licenses in accordance with national legal, ethical and welfare regulations.
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Rodrigues, T.M., Andrade, P., Vidal, M. et al. No genetic differentiation, but less diversity, in the Iberian breeding population of the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata). J Ornithol 160, 17–25 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1598-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1598-0