DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/M69E-6856

Defense Date

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Rodney Dyer

Second Advisor

Lesley Bulluck

Third Advisor

Catherine Viverette

Abstract

Understanding migratory connectivity is essential for assessing the drivers behind population dynamics and for implementing effective management in migratory species. Genetic markers provide a means to describe migratory connectivity, as well as incorporate population genetic analyses, however genetic markers can be uninformative for species with weak genetic structure. In this study, we evaluate range-wide population genetic structure and migratory connectivity in the prothonotary warbler, Protonotaria citrea, a wetland-dependent neotropical migratory songbird, using high-resolution genetic markers. We reveal regional genetic structure between sampling sites in the Mississippi River Valley and the Atlantic Seaboard with overall weak genetic differentiation among populations (FST = 0.0051). By ranking loci by FST and using subsets of the most differentiated genetic markers (200 – 3000), we identify a maximum assignment accuracy (89.7% to site, 94.3% to region) using 600 single nucleotide polymorphisms. We assign samples from unknown origin nonbreeding sites to a breeding region, illustrating weak migratory connectivity between prothonotary warbler breeding and nonbreeding grounds. Our results highlight the importance of using high-resolution markers in studies of migratory connectivity with species exhibiting weak genetic structure. Using similar techniques, studies may begin to describe population genetic structure that was previously undocumented, allowing us to infer the migratory patterns of an increasing number of species.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-10-2018

Download

Share

COinS