Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway
ABSTRACT Population segregation catalyses genetic differentiation and can lead to speciation. Population genetic structure is also critically important for population management, especially in species characterised by small, isolated populations. Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) populations of t...
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71475 |
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| author | Ruth Joy Krista Roessingh Kathleen Meszaros Allyson Miscampbell Carol Ritland Matt Hayes Gary Ivey Mike Petrula Jeffrey B. Joy |
| author_facet | Ruth Joy Krista Roessingh Kathleen Meszaros Allyson Miscampbell Carol Ritland Matt Hayes Gary Ivey Mike Petrula Jeffrey B. Joy |
| author_sort | Ruth Joy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Population segregation catalyses genetic differentiation and can lead to speciation. Population genetic structure is also critically important for population management, especially in species characterised by small, isolated populations. Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) populations of the Pacific Flyway are made up of breeding populations nesting west of the Rocky Mountains, and isolated by intermediate mountain ranges. Current management policy in British Columbia treats all Sandhill Cranes as a single population, whereas in the western United States, subpopulations are subject to population‐specific management. Here, we analyse microsatellite markers, mitochondrial DNA sequences, and mitochondrial haplogroups derived from 203 individual Sandhill Cranes to elucidate the population genetic structure of cranes migrating along the Pacific Flyway to summer breeding habitat on the North and Central Coast of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. STRUCTURE, AMOVA, FST, DAPC, and phylogenetic analyses reveal that geographically separated crane populations along the west coast of North America show substantial genetic differentiation in the Pacific Flyway. These findings are consistent with behavioural and ecological evidence—divergent diets, flyways, and breeding habitats. We conclude that the relatively small coastal Sandhill Crane populations deserve special management consideration to safeguard their genetic diversity and adaptations, and to mitigate deleterious impacts of current and future climate change scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5a38379c7c74bb6a15ff66525e8caa2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-c5a38379c7c74bb6a15ff66525e8caa22025-08-20T02:43:38ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-06-01156n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71475Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific FlywayRuth Joy0Krista Roessingh1Kathleen Meszaros2Allyson Miscampbell3Carol Ritland4Matt Hayes5Gary Ivey6Mike Petrula7Jeffrey B. Joy8School of Environmental Science Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia CanadaCitizen Scientist Denny Island British Columbia CanadaSchool of Environmental Science Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia CanadaGenetic Data Centre, Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaGenetic Data Centre, Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaIllinois Audubon Society Springfield Illinois USAInternational Crane Foundation Bend Oregon USAAlaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation Waterfowl Program Anchorage Alaska USAMolecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Vancouver British Columbia CanadaABSTRACT Population segregation catalyses genetic differentiation and can lead to speciation. Population genetic structure is also critically important for population management, especially in species characterised by small, isolated populations. Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) populations of the Pacific Flyway are made up of breeding populations nesting west of the Rocky Mountains, and isolated by intermediate mountain ranges. Current management policy in British Columbia treats all Sandhill Cranes as a single population, whereas in the western United States, subpopulations are subject to population‐specific management. Here, we analyse microsatellite markers, mitochondrial DNA sequences, and mitochondrial haplogroups derived from 203 individual Sandhill Cranes to elucidate the population genetic structure of cranes migrating along the Pacific Flyway to summer breeding habitat on the North and Central Coast of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. STRUCTURE, AMOVA, FST, DAPC, and phylogenetic analyses reveal that geographically separated crane populations along the west coast of North America show substantial genetic differentiation in the Pacific Flyway. These findings are consistent with behavioural and ecological evidence—divergent diets, flyways, and breeding habitats. We conclude that the relatively small coastal Sandhill Crane populations deserve special management consideration to safeguard their genetic diversity and adaptations, and to mitigate deleterious impacts of current and future climate change scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71475gene flownon‐invasive samplingPacific Flywaypopulation geneticspopulation managementSandhill Cranes |
| spellingShingle | Ruth Joy Krista Roessingh Kathleen Meszaros Allyson Miscampbell Carol Ritland Matt Hayes Gary Ivey Mike Petrula Jeffrey B. Joy Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway Ecology and Evolution gene flow non‐invasive sampling Pacific Flyway population genetics population management Sandhill Cranes |
| title | Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway |
| title_full | Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway |
| title_fullStr | Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway |
| title_short | Deciphering Cryptic Population Structure in Western Sandhill Crane Subspecies (Antigone canadensis) of the Pacific Flyway |
| title_sort | deciphering cryptic population structure in western sandhill crane subspecies antigone canadensis of the pacific flyway |
| topic | gene flow non‐invasive sampling Pacific Flyway population genetics population management Sandhill Cranes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71475 |
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