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Abstract
Characterising genetic diversity and structure of populations is essential for effective conservation of threatened species. The Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga), a large and globally vulnerable raptor, is extinct or in severe decline in most of its previous range in Europe. We assessed whether the remnants of European population are genetically impoverished, and isolated from each other. We evaluated levels of genetic diversity and population structuring by sequencing mitochondrial pseudo-control region and 10 introns from various nuclear genes, and estimated length diversity in 23 microsatellite markers. The European population has expanded since the late Pleistocene, and does not exhibit signs of a recent population bottleneck. The global genetic diversity in Europe was rather similar to that detected in other similar species. Microsatellites suggested shallow but significant differentiation between the four extant populations in Estonia, Poland, Belarus and Russia (Upper Volga region) populations, but introns and mtDNA showed that only the Estonian population differed from the others. Mitochondrial diversity was highest in the northernmost Estonian population, introns suggested lower diversity in Upper Volga, microsatellites indicated equal diversity among populations. A recent bottleneck was detected in Poland, which is consistent with the observed repopulation of the region. We conclude that significant gene flow and high genetic diversity are retained in the fragmented Greater Spotted Eagle populations; there is currently no need for genetic augmentation in Europe.
Highlights
Many populations of raptorial birds have declined due to habitat loss and fragmentation[10,11]
Genetic methods have been used to detect its hybridisation with Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina[26,27,28], little attention has been given to better understanding the genetic architecture of its populations; genetic diversity has been explored within the Estonian population[29,30], but large scale studies on population structure are lacking
We ask: (i) how diverse genetically are Greater Spotted Eagles across Europe, (ii) how much has fragmentation affected the genetic structure of the European population, (iii) how genetically isolated from one another are remaining populations, and (iv) have extant populations gone through a genetic bottleneck, which might have affected their evolutionary potential
Summary
Many populations of raptorial birds have declined due to habitat loss and fragmentation[10,11]. Its population has been in continual decline for decades, and is considered globally Vulnerable and Endangered in Europe[24] It is distributed from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, this vast area is occupied by only a few thousand breeding pairs, with fewer than a thousand pairs breeding in Europe[24]. We ask: (i) how diverse genetically are Greater Spotted Eagles across Europe, (ii) how much has fragmentation affected the genetic structure of the European population, (iii) how genetically isolated from one another are remaining populations, and (iv) have extant populations gone through a genetic bottleneck, which might have affected their evolutionary potential. The results will be examined within the context of Greater Spotted Eagle conservation, with an aim to provide advice on genetic management and look for potential opportunities for augmentation or translocation programmes
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