Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs

Katherine Christie; Robert E. Wilson; James A. Johnson; Christian Friis; Christopher Harwood; Laura Anne McDuffie; Erica Nol; Sarah A. Sonsthagen

doi:10.3390/d15050595

Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs

Diversity

By: Katherine Christie, Robert E. Wilson, James A. Johnson, Christian Friis, Christopher Harwood, Laura Anne McDuffie, Erica Nol, and Sarah A. Sonsthagen

https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050595

Links

More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core

Abstract

Integrating tracking technology and molecular approaches provides a comprehensive picture of contemporary and evolutionary mechanisms promoting connectivity. We used mitochondrial DNA and double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing combined with satellite telemetry to investigate the connectivity of geographically disparate breeding populations of a declining boreal shorebird, the lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). We were able to track 33 individuals on their round-trip migrations to Central and South America and back to the boreal wetlands of North America. Nearly all (93%) adults captured on the breeding grounds returned to within 5 km of the original capture site, with a median dispersal distance of 629 m. While our telemetry data revealed limited breeding dispersal in adults, genetic data uncovered significant interconnectedness across the species’ range. Very little genetic structure was estimated at ddRAD autosomal (Φ_ST = 0.001), Z-linked (Φ_ST = 0.001), and mtDNA loci (Φ_ST = 0.020), and maximum likelihood-based clustering methods placed all individuals in a single cluster regardless of capture location, indicating the species is panmictic. Our data indicate that large-scale juvenile dispersal is the main mechanism maintaining connectivity in this species, resulting in the absence of genomic structure.

Study Area

Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs
Series title	Diversity
DOI	10.3390/d15050595
Volume	15
Year Published	2023
Language	English
Publisher	MDPI
Contributing office(s)	Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description	595, 16 p.
Country	Canada, United States
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page