Abstract
Several phylogeographic studies of seabirds have documented low genetic diversity that has been attributed to bottleneck events or individual capacity for dispersal. Few studies have been done in seabirds on the Brazilian coast and all have shown low genetic differentiation on a wide geographic scale. The Kelp Gull is a common species with a wide distribution in the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we used mitochondrial and nuclear markers to examine the genetic variability of Kelp Gull populations on the Brazilian coast and compared this variability with that of sub-Antarctic island populations of this species. Kelp Gulls showed extremely low genetic variability for mitochondrial markers (cytb and ATPase) and high diversity for a nuclear locus (intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen). The intraspecific evolutionary history of Kelp Gulls showed that the variability found in intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen gene was compatible with the variability expected under neutral evolution but suggested an increase in population size during the last 10,000 years. However, none of the markers revealed evidence of a bottleneck population. These findings indicate that the recent origin of Kelp Gulls is the main explanation for their nuclear diversity, although selective pressure on the mtDNA of this species cannot be discarded.
Highlights
The gull genus Larus, which consists of 25 species worldwide, has a complex evolutionary history
Larus dominicanus appeared as a monophyletic clade and the sister clade consisted of six species from the fuscus complex: L. taymyrensis, L. glaucoides, L. glaucescens, L. smithsonianns, L. marinus and L. shiasagus
The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Larus group has a recent origin: L. dominicanus diverged from the fuscus complex 241,201 years ago and the time to the most recent common ancestor was estimated at 153,184 years ago (Figure 2)
Summary
The gull genus Larus, which consists of 25 species worldwide, has a complex evolutionary history. Twentyone species of Larus occur in the Northern Hemisphere and hybridization among several species in areas of secondary contact has been documented (Liebers et al, 2001; Crochet et al, 2003; Pons et al, 2004). Most studies of the genus Larus have addressed the systematics of this group and have reported recent divergence among various species (Crochet et al, 2003; Pons et al, 2005). In contrast to Northern Hemisphere species, little is known about the four species of Larus that occur in the Southern Hemisphere. The work described in here is the first study to examine the population genetics of this group
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