Lack of genetic structure in greylag goose (Anser anser) populations along the European Atlantic flyway.

Irene Pellegrino,Arne Follestad,Mathieu Boos,Marco Cucco

doi:10.7717/peerj.1161

Abstract

Greylag goose populations are steadily increasing in north-western Europe. Although individuals breeding in the Netherlands have been considered mainly sedentary birds, those from Scandinavia or northern Germany fly towards their winter quarters, namely over France as far as Spain. This study aimed to determine the genetic structure of these birds, and to evaluate how goose populations mix. We used mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites from individuals distributed throughout the European Atlantic flyway, from breeding sites in Norway and the Netherlands to stopover and wintering sites in northern and south-western France. The mtDNA marker (CR1 D-Loop, 288 bp sequence, 144 ind.) showed 23 different haplotypes. The genetic distances amongst individuals sampled in Norway, northern France and the Netherlands were low (range 0.012–0.013). Individuals in south-western France showed a slightly higher genetic distance compared to all other sampling areas (ranges 0.018–0.022). The NJ tree does not show evidence of any single clades grouping together all individuals from the same geographic area. Besides, individuals from each site are found in different branches. Bayesian clustering procedures on 14 microsatellites (169 individuals) did not detect any geographically distinct cluster, and a high genetic admixture was recorded in all studied areas except for the individuals from the breeding sites in Norway, which were genetically very close. Estimation of migration rates through Bayesian inference confirms the scenario for the current mixing of goose populations.

Highlights

The greylag goose (Anser anser) is widespread throughout the Palearctic
MtDNA The mtDNA marker sequences (CR1 D-Loop 288 bp) showed 23 haplotypes defined by ten polymorphic sites and distributed in eight locations (Appendix S2)
According to the study areas, we found a total of nine private haplotypes, the majority of which occurred in the Landes (SW France) population (Table 1, Appendix S2)

Summary

Introduction

The greylag goose (Anser anser) is widespread throughout the Palearctic. In Europe, the main breeding populations are located in central and northern countries, and the species rarely breeds in Mediterranean areas (Cramp, 1977; Hagemeijer & Blair, 1997; BirdLife International, 2004). European populations show different patterns of movement. Individuals breeding in Scotland and the Netherlands are considered sedentary birds (Delany & Scott, 2006), those from Scandinavia or central Europe fly longer distances, namely over France to Spain, with some individuals reaching north Africa (Fox et al, 2010; Nilsson et al, 2013). How to cite this article Pellegrino et al (2015), Lack of genetic structure in greylag goose (Anser anser) populations along the European Atlantic flyway.

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