Appraisal of the consequences of the DDT-induced bottleneck on the level and geographic distribution of neutral genetic variation in Canadian peregrine falcons, Falco peregrinus

Peregrine falcon populations underwent devastating declines in the mid-20th century due to the bioaccumulation of organochlorine contaminants, becoming essentially extirpated east of the Great Plains and significantly reduced elsewhere in North America. Extensive re-introduction programs and restric...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular ecology 2007, Vol.16 (2), p.327-343
Main Authors: BROWN, JOSEPH W, VAN COEVERDEN DE GROOT, PETER J, BIRT, TIM P, SEUTIN, GILLES, BOAG, PETER T, FRIESEN, VICKI L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Bayes Theorem
Biogeography
Birds
Bottlenecks
Canada
Cluster Analysis
Conservation of Natural Resources
DDT - toxicity
DNA Primers
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Falco peregrinus
Falco peregrinus anatum
Falco peregrinus pealei
Falco peregrinus tundrius
Falconiformes - classification
Falconiformes - genetics
genetic bottleneck
Genetic Variation - drug effects
Genetics, Population
microsatellite DNA
Microsatellite Repeats - genetics
Mitochondrial DNA
Models, Genetic
Molecular Sequence Data
museum specimens
peregrine falcons
Pesticides - toxicity
Population Dynamics
Population genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
systematics
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Summary:Peregrine falcon populations underwent devastating declines in the mid-20th century due to the bioaccumulation of organochlorine contaminants, becoming essentially extirpated east of the Great Plains and significantly reduced elsewhere in North America. Extensive re-introduction programs and restrictions on pesticide use in Canada and the United States have returned many populations to predecline sizes. A proper population genetic appraisal of the consequences of this decline requires an appropriate context defined by (i) meaningful demographic entities; and (ii) suitable reference populations. Here we explore the validity of currently recognized subspecies designations using data from the mitochondrial control region and 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci taken from 184 contemporary individuals from across the breeding range, and compare patterns of population genetic structure with historical patterns inferred from 95 museum specimens. Of the three North American subspecies, the west coast marine subspecies Falco peregrinus pealei is well differentiated genetically in both time periods using nuclear loci. In contrast, the partitioning of continental Falco peregrinus anatum and arctic Falco peregrinus tundrius subspecies is not substantiated, as individuals from these subspecies are historically indistinguishable genetically. Bayesian clustering analyses demonstrate that contemporary genetic differentiation between these two subspecies is mainly due to changes within F. p. anatum (specifically the southern F. p. anatum populations). Despite expectations and a variety of tests, no genetic bottleneck signature is found in the identified populations; in fact, many contemporary indices of diversity are higher than historical values. These results are rationalized by the promptness of the recovery and the possible introduction of new genetic material.
ISSN:0962-1083
1365-294X
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03151.x