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No genetic structure in a mixed flock of migratory and non-migratory Mallards

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Abstract

Mallards do not show genetic differentiation into migratory populations across typical flyways. It is also known that some Mallard populations are non-migratory. The aim of this study was to test if genetic structure exists between migratory and non-migratory Mallards in an area where they occur sympatrically, in Doñana, Spain. After quality filtering we analysed 350 single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs) from 104 migratory and non-migratory Mallards. No genetic structure was evident from our data. We conclude that the lack of large-scale genetic structure of the global Mallard population remains valid when specifically testing potential differentiation between migratory and non-migratory Mallards.

Zusammenfassung

Keine genetische Struktur in einer gemischten Gruppe aus ziehenden und nicht-ziehenden Stockenten

Stockenten weisen keine genetische Differenzierung in typische Vogelzugrouten auf. Es ist auch bekannt, dass manche Stockentenpopulationen aus Standvögeln bestehen, die nicht ziehen. Das Ziel dieser Studie war die Untersuchung einer möglichen genetischen Differenzierung zwischen ziehenden und nicht-ziehenden Stockenten in einem Gebiet, in dem diese sympatrisch vorkommen, in Doñana, Spanien. Nach Qualitätsfilterung analysierten wir 350 Einzel-Nukleotid-Polymorphismen (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) von 104 ziehenden und stehenden Stockenten. Es gab keine Hinweise auf genetische Struktur in unseren Daten. Wir schließen daraus, dass das Fehlen genetischer Struktur in der globalen Stockentenpopulation auch dann noch zutrifft, wenn man lokal spezifisch ziehende und stehende Populationen vergleicht.

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Acknowledgments

The genotyping of samples in this study was performed in the Animal Breeding and Genomics Group (Wageningen, the Netherlands) with support from Martien Groenen, Richard Crooijmans and Bert Dibbits. The data of this manuscript is from a project in the Resource Ecology Group (Herbert Prins, Wageningen, the Netherlands) financed by the KNJV (Royal Netherlands Hunters Association), the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, the Faunafonds, the Stichting de Eik Trust. Field work in Spain was supported by the MINECO project CGL2012-30759 and the EU projects EDEN and EDENEXT. Ringing data was obtained from “Oficina de Anillamiento”, Madrid, Spain. Katharina Klug thanks Martin Wikelski for hosting her as a BSc student during the analyses. All work presented in this study complies with the laws of the country in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany

    Robert H. S. Kraus & Katharina Klug

  2. Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany

    Robert H. S. Kraus & Katharina Klug

  3. Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Av. Américo Vespucio, s/n., 41092, Seville, Spain

    Jordi Figuerola

  4. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    Jordi Figuerola

Authors
  1. Robert H. S. Kraus
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  2. Jordi Figuerola
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  3. Katharina Klug
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert H. S. Kraus.

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Communicated by M. Wink.

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Kraus, R.H.S., Figuerola, J. & Klug, K. No genetic structure in a mixed flock of migratory and non-migratory Mallards. J Ornithol 157, 919–922 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-016-1354-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-016-1354-2

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