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Tamas Szekely - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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population differentiation and historical demography of the threatened snowy Plover charadrius nivosus cassin 1858
Conservation Genetics, 2020Co-Authors: Tamas Szekely, Kathryn H Maher, Josephine Durban Jackson, Michael William Bruford, Jeffrey M Dacosta, Michael D Sorenson, Isarita M RussoAbstract:Delineating conservation units is a complex and often controversial process that is particularly challenging for highly vagile species. Here, we reassess population genetic structure and identify those populations of highest conservation value in the threatened snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus, Cassin, 1858), a partial migrant shorebird endemic to the Americas. We use four categories of genetic data—mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites, Z-linked and autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—to: (1) assess subspecies delineation and examine population structure (2) compare the sensitivity of the different types of genetic data to detect spatial genetic patterns, and (3) reconstruct demographic history of the populations analysed. Delineation of two traditionally recognised subspecies was broadly supported by all data. In addition, microsatellite and SNPs but not mtDNA supported the recognition of Caribbean snowy Plovers (C. n. tenuirostris) and Floridian populations (eastern C. n. nivosus) as distinct genetic lineage and deme, respectively. Low migration rates estimated from autosomal SNPs (m < 0.03) reflect a general paucity of exchange between genetic lineages. In contrast, we detected strong unidirectional migration (m = 0.26) from the western into the eastern nivosus deme. Within western nivosus, we found no genetic differentiation between coastal Pacific and inland populations. The correlation between geographic and genetic distances was weak but significant for all genetic data sets. All demes showed signatures of bottlenecks occurring during the past 1000 years. We conclude that at least four snowy Plover conservation units are warranted: in addition to subspecies nivosus and occidentalis, a third unit comprises the Caribbean tenuirostris lineage and a fourth unit the distinct eastern nivosus deme.
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offspring sex ratio is unrelated to parental quality and time of breeding in a multiple breeding shorebird
Journal of Ornithology, 2019Co-Authors: Pinjia Que, Tamas Szekely, Yang Liu, Pengcheng Wang, Weipan Lei, Zhengwang ZhangAbstract:Sex ratio is a fundamental concept in evolutional biology, and theory predicts that parents should invest in sons and daughters according to the fitness returns they expect from them. The fitness returns may depend on the timing of breeding and on parental conditions leading to sex ratios that depend on breeding date and/or parental quality. Here, we investigate the offspring sex ratio in a small shorebird, the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus, in a large breeding population in Eastern China, and test whether the parents adjust their offspring’s sex in response to hatch date, brood age and their own body condition. Using 1264 chicks from 676 broods that were molecularly sexed, we show that hatchling sex ratio was not significantly different from unity. Hatchling sex ratios were not related to hatch date or to the body condition of parents. In addition, we sexed 138 eggs that were confiscated from illegal egg collectors and found that the mortality of female and male embryos was not significantly different. The latter result is important by suggesting that neither primary sex ratio (i.e., at conception) nor secondary sex ratio (i.e., at hatching) is biased. Taken together, the even offspring sex ratio in Chinese Kentish Plovers is consistent with recent analyses of six Plover populations that found even sex ratios at hatching. Future works should investigate whether the even sex ratio persists into adulthood, or it may shift toward more males (or females) due to sex-biased mortalities of juveniles and/or adults.
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low nest survival of a breeding shorebird in bohai bay china
Journal of Ornithology, 2015Co-Authors: Pinjia Que, Tamas Szekely, Yang Liu, Yajing Chang, Luke J Eberhartphillips, Zhengwang ZhangAbstract:Nest survival plays an important role in avian demography because of its influence on both individual fitness and population growth. It is also known to vary within species due to local factors such as climate, predation, substrate, and disturbance, among others. Therefore, an understanding of the relative influence of local factors on nest survival is of critical importance for the formulation of appropriate avian conservation and management policies/programs. Over the past 50 years the Yellow Sea has lost almost 65 % of its original intertidal habitats due to land reclamation and development. There has also been a concomitant and rapid decline in the populations of Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in East Asia, but the proximate causes of this decline are poorly understood. To gain a better understanding of this conservation issue, we investigated Kentish Plover nest survival in Bohai Bay, China, using Program MARK to model the daily survival rate (DSR) of 417 nests. We found that in terms of nest survival, that for the Kentish Plover populations in Bohai Bay [0.925 ± 0.004 (±95 % confidence interval)] is the lowest reported worldwide for this species. The most common cause of nest failure was related to anthropogenic disturbance. We determined that nests occupying salt crystallization habitat had the highest hatching success and that initiation date, nest age, and nest density had quadratic effects on DSR. If low nest survival persists for consecutive years, fecundity will unlikely compensate for adult mortality, resulting in dramatic population declines of Plovers in Bohai Bay. We therefore recommend that the Local Authority managers responsible for local environmental management act accordingly to create protected alternative nesting habitat for Plovers in this region.
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experimental assessment of mating opportunities in three shorebird species
Animal Behaviour, 2014Co-Authors: Jorge E Parra, Sama Zefania, Marcela Beltran, Natalie Dos Remedios, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:Mating opportunities may differ between closely related species, although the evidence for such variation is scant. Here we compare remating opportunities and courtship behaviour between three shorebird species: the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, the Kittlitz's Plover, Charadrius pecuarius, and the white-fronted Plover, Charadrius marginatus, using data and an experimental approach from a previous study of the Kentish Plover. By experimentally creating unmated males and females, we found that remating opportunities differed between these closely related Plover species: remating times were shorter for females than males in a Kentish Plover population that had a male-biased adult sex ratio, and in which most brood care after hatching was carried out by males. In contrast, remating times were male-biased in the uniparental Kittlitz's Plover and unbiased in the biparental white-fronted Plover. Male Kentish Plovers spent significantly more time on courtship than females, whereas courtship behaviour was not sex biased in the other two Plover species. The mate removal experiments also provided insights into pair bond stability. In the Kittlitz's Plover, all 16 newly formed pairs remained together after the release of their former mates from captivity, whereas newly established pairs were replaced by their former mates upon release in all 12 white-fronted Plover pairs. Taken together, these results are important in highlighting interspecific variation in mating activities, and suggest that both operational sex ratio and pair bond stability may differ between closely related species. These variations, in turn, may influence mating systems and parental care.
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conflict between genetic and phenotypic differentiation the evolutionary history of a lost and rediscovered shorebird
PLOS ONE, 2011Co-Authors: Frank E Rheindt, Monif Alrashidi, Tamas Szekely, Andras Kosztolanyi, Terry Burke, Scott V Edwards, Patricia L M Lee, Peter R Kennerley, David N Bakewell, Michael A WestonAbstract:Understanding and resolving conflicts between phenotypic and genetic differentiation is central to evolutionary research. While phenotypically monomorphic species may exhibit deep genetic divergences, some morphologically distinct taxa lack notable genetic differentiation. Here we conduct a molecular investigation of an enigmatic shorebird with a convoluted taxonomic history, the White-faced Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus), widely regarded as a subspecies of the Kentish Plover (C. alexandrinus). Described as distinct in 1863, its name was consistently misapplied in subsequent decades until taxonomic clarification ensued in 2008. Using a recently proposed test of species delimitation, we reconfirm the phenotypic distinctness of dealbatus. We then compare three mitochondrial and seven nuclear DNA markers among 278 samples of dealbatus and alexandrinus from across their breeding range and four other closely related Plovers. We fail to find any population genetic differentiation between dealbatus and alexandrinus, whereas the other species are deeply diverged at the study loci. Kentish Plovers join a small but growing list of species for which low levels of genetic differentiation are accompanied by the presence of strong phenotypic divergence, suggesting that diagnostic phenotypic characters may be encoded by few genes that are difficult to detect. Alternatively, gene expression differences may be crucial in producing different phenotypes whereas neutral differentiation may be lagging behind.
Andras Kosztolanyi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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high fidelity extra pair fertilisations in eight charadrius Plover species are not associated with parental relatedness or social mating system
Journal of Avian Biology, 2017Co-Authors: Sama Zefania, Andras Kosztolanyi, Natalie Dos Remedios, Luke J Eberhartphillips, Kathryn H Maher, Maria Cristina Carmonaisunza, Medardo Cruzlopez, James J H St ClairAbstract:Extra-pair paternity is a common reproductive strategy in many bird species. However, it remains unclear why extra-pair paternity occurs and why it varies among species and populations. Plovers (Charadrius spp.) exhibit considerable variation in reproductive behaviour and ecology, making them excellent models to investigate the evolution of social and genetic mating systems. We investigated inter- and intra-specific patterns of extra-pair parentage and evaluated three major hypotheses explaining extra-pair paternity using a comparative approach based on the microsatellite genotypes of 2049 individuals from 510 Plover families sampled from twelve populations that constituted eight species. Extra-pair paternity rates were very low (0 to 4.1% of chicks per population). No evidence was found in support of the sexual conflict or genetic compatibility hypotheses, and there was no seasonal pattern of extra-pair paternity (EPP). The low prevalence of EPP is consistent with a number of alternative hypotheses, including the parental investment hypothesis, which suggests that high contribution to care by males restricts female Plovers from engaging in extra-pair copulations. Further studies are needed to critically test the importance of this hypothesis for mate choice in Plovers.
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conflict between genetic and phenotypic differentiation the evolutionary history of a lost and rediscovered shorebird
PLOS ONE, 2011Co-Authors: Frank E Rheindt, Monif Alrashidi, Tamas Szekely, Andras Kosztolanyi, Terry Burke, Scott V Edwards, Patricia L M Lee, Peter R Kennerley, David N Bakewell, Michael A WestonAbstract:Understanding and resolving conflicts between phenotypic and genetic differentiation is central to evolutionary research. While phenotypically monomorphic species may exhibit deep genetic divergences, some morphologically distinct taxa lack notable genetic differentiation. Here we conduct a molecular investigation of an enigmatic shorebird with a convoluted taxonomic history, the White-faced Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus), widely regarded as a subspecies of the Kentish Plover (C. alexandrinus). Described as distinct in 1863, its name was consistently misapplied in subsequent decades until taxonomic clarification ensued in 2008. Using a recently proposed test of species delimitation, we reconfirm the phenotypic distinctness of dealbatus. We then compare three mitochondrial and seven nuclear DNA markers among 278 samples of dealbatus and alexandrinus from across their breeding range and four other closely related Plovers. We fail to find any population genetic differentiation between dealbatus and alexandrinus, whereas the other species are deeply diverged at the study loci. Kentish Plovers join a small but growing list of species for which low levels of genetic differentiation are accompanied by the presence of strong phenotypic divergence, suggesting that diagnostic phenotypic characters may be encoded by few genes that are difficult to detect. Alternatively, gene expression differences may be crucial in producing different phenotypes whereas neutral differentiation may be lagging behind.
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Breeding ecology of the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia (Aves: Charadriiformes)
Zoology in the Middle East, 2011Co-Authors: Monif Alrashidi, Andras Kosztolanyi, Mohammed Shobrak, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:Abstract The breeding behaviour and ecology of the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus Linnaeus, were investigated in three consecutive years in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia, where the species breeds either under halophytic bushes or in exposed sites where ground temperatures may reach 60°C. Three aspects make the Farasan Island population distinct from most other Kentish Plover populations studied to date. First, incubating Plovers appear to prefer nesting under halophytic bushes rather than in exposed sites, since 65.1% of nests were under bushes, whereas 34.9% of nests were in fully exposed sites. Second, both mate fidelity and nest-site fidelity were high, and pairs stayed within short distances from their previous nest sites. Third, brood desertion was very rare in the Farasan Islands – unlike most other populations where the female or the male deserts the brood shortly after hatching of the eggs – since in 95% of broods both parents attended the chick(s) (n=153 broods). We suggest that thes...
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The influence of a hot environment on parental cooperation of a ground-nesting shorebird, the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
Frontiers in Zoology, 2010Co-Authors: Monif Alrashidi, Andras Kosztolanyi, Innes C Cuthill, Clemens Kupper, Salim Javed, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:Background Parental care often increases offspring survival, but is costly to the parents. A trade-off between the cost and benefit of care is expected, so that when care provisioning by both parents is essential for the success of young, for instance in extremely cold or hot environments, the parents should rear their young together. We investigated the latter hypothesis in a ground nesting shorebird, the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus in an extremely hot environment, the Arabian Desert. Midday ground temperature was often above 50°C in our study site in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), thus leaving the eggs unattended even for a few minute risks overheating and death of embryos. Results Through the use of video surveillance systems we recorded incubation routines of male and female Kentish Plovers at 28 nests over a full day (24 h). We show that ambient temperature had a significant influence on incubation behaviour of both sexes, and the relationships are often non-linear. Coordinated incubation between parents was particularly strong in midday with incubation shared approximately equally between the male and the female. The enhanced biparental incubation was due to males increasing their nest attendance with ambient temperature. Conclusions Our results suggest biparental care is essential during incubation in the Kentish Plover in extremely hot environments. Shared incubation may also help the parents to cope with heat stress themselves: they can relieve each other frequently from incubation duties. We suggest that once the eggs have hatched the risks associated with hot temperature are reduced: the chicks become mobile, and they gradually develop thermoregulation. When biparental care of young is no longer essential one parent may desert the family. The relaxed demand of the offspring may contribute to the diverse breeding systems exhibited by many shorebirds.
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kentish versus snowy Plover phenotypic and genetic analyses of charadrius alexandrinus reveal divergence of eurasian and american subspecies
The Auk, 2009Co-Authors: Clemens Kupper, Andras Kosztolanyi, Jakob Augustin, Terry Burke, Jordi Figuerola, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:ABSTRACT. Many shorebird species have widespread geographic distributions comprising several continents. Because shorebirds are excellent flyers and can migrate large distances, it is often unclear whether reproductive barriers between subspecies and populations from different continents exist. Kentish-Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) are cosmopolitan shorebirds. Whether the American and Eurasian subspecies-Snowy Plover and Kentish Plover, respectively—constitute a single species is the subject of a longstanding debate. We examined the divergence between American and Eurasian populations to reassess the current taxonomy by comparing genetic and phenotypic characters of the American subspecies C. a. nivosus and the Eurasian subspecies C. a. alexandrinus from seven populations. Genetic analyses revealed that American and Eurasian populations have strongly diverged, the Kentish Plover being more closely related to the White-fronted Plover (C. marginatus) than to the Snowy Plover. These results were co...
D W Yalden - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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impacts of climate on prey abundance account for fluctuations in a population of a northern wader at the southern edge of its range
Global Change Biology, 2010Co-Authors: James W Pearcehiggins, Peter Dennis, Mark J Whittingham, D W YaldenAbstract:Understanding the mechanisms by which climate change will affect animal populations is vital for adaptive management. Many studies have described changes in the timing of biological events, which can produce phenological mismatch. Direct effects on prey abundance might also be important, but have rarely been studied. We examine the likely importance of variation in prey abundance in driving the demographics of a European golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) population at its southern range margin. Previous studies have correlated Plover productivity with the abundance of their adult cranefly (Tipulidae) prey, and modelled the phenology of both Plover breeding and cranefly emergence in relation to temperature. Our analyses demonstrate that abundance of adult craneflies is correlated with August temperature in the previous year. Correspondingly, changes in the golden Plover population are negatively correlated with August temperature 2 years earlier. Predictions of annual productivity, based on temperature-mediated reductions in prey abundance, closely match observed trends. Modelled variation in annual productivity for a future scenario of increasing August temperatures predicts a significant risk of extinction of the golden Plover population over the next 100 years, depending upon the magnitude of warming. Direct effects of climate warming upon cranefly populations may therefore cause northward range contractions of golden Plovers, as predicted by climate envelope modelling. Craneflies are an important food source for many northern and upland birds, and our results are likely to have wide relevance to these other species. Research into the potential for habitat management to improve the resilience of cranefly populations to high temperature should be an urgent priority.
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the effect of recreational disturbance on an upland breeding bird the golden Plover pluvialis apricaria
Biological Conservation, 2005Co-Authors: S K Finney, James W Pearcehiggins, D W YaldenAbstract:The use of the countryside for recreation has increased dramatically in recent years. This has led to concern amongst conservationists about the effects increased human disturbance may have on important wild animal populations. In the UK, recent legislation has widened the level of access to upland habitats, which support internationally important breeding bird populations. Determining the extent to which recreational disturbance affects upland breeding birds is therefore a conservation priority. We used data collected over 13 years to investigate the impact of recreational disturbance on the distribution and reproductive performance of golden Plovers breeding in close proximity to the Pennine Way, an intensively used long-distance footpath. Importantly, the Pennine Way was resurfaced in 1994 to prevent further erosion of the surrounding vegetation. We were therefore able to examine if the response of golden Plovers to recreational disturbance was influenced by changes in the intensity and extent of human activity resulting from the resurfacing work. Before the Pennine Way was resurfaced, golden Plovers avoided areas within 200 m of the footpath during the chick-rearing period. At this time over 30% of people strayed from the footpath and the movement of people across the moorland was therefore widespread and unpredictable. Following resurfacing, over 96% of walkers remained on the Pennine Way, which significantly reduced the impact of recreational disturbance on golden Plover distribution; golden Plovers only avoided areas within 50 m of the footpath at this time. Despite the clear behavioural responses of golden Plovers to the presence of visitors, there was no detectable impact of disturbance on reproductive performance. In many countries, a conflict arises between the use of the countryside for recreational purposes and the protection of habitats or species of high conservation value. However, this study suggests that the implementation of simple measures to influence visitor behaviour can dramatically reduce the impact of recreational disturbance on wild animal populations.
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variation in the use of pasture by breeding european golden Plovers pluvialis apricaria in relation to prey availability
Ibis, 2003Co-Authors: James W Pearcehiggins, D W YaldenAbstract:European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria populations have declined across Western Europe. Changes to upland grasslands that are utilized by foraging off-duty birds may have contributed to this decline. The use of enclosed agricultural land by a stable breeding population of Golden Plovers in the South Pennines is described to examine this hypothesis. Fields contained foraging Plovers from the end of February to the end of July. Off-duty incubating birds commuted to feed on fields, females during the day and males at night. During the day, adults flew from 6.6 to 7.2 Km from the guest to feed, whilst at night birds commuted from 2.4 to 2.7 km. The length of time spent foraging by males was inversely dependent upon daylength. Following hatching, the use of pasture declined, although not as much as in other studies. Arable and improved fields received most use by 1 5 radiotagged birds, whilst the use of pasture throughout the breeding season was negatively correlated with sward height. Adult diet consisted largely of subsurface prey, particularly larval tipulids, although earthworms were an important component in March and April. The biomass of larval tipulids was strongly correlated with an index of the use of fields. The selection of fields by Golden Plovers is therefore dependent upon prey abundance and availability, and, consequently, is likely to be enhanced by summer grazing and poor drainage. These findings are discussed in the light of recent trends in pastoral management.
William J Sutherland - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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regional models of the influence of human disturbance and habitat quality on the distribution of breeding territories of common ringed Plover charadrius hiaticula and eurasian oystercatcher haematopus ostralegus
Global Ecology and Conservation, 2021Co-Authors: Jamie A Tratalos, Andy Jones, David A Showler, Jennifer A Gill, Ian J Bateman, Robert Sugden, A R Watkinson, William J SutherlandAbstract:Abstract We estimated the influence of human disturbance and environmental factors on territory establishment in common ringed Plovers Charadrius hiaticula and Eurasian oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus, to inform the conservation of these species. We examined a 212 km stretch of coastline in the United Kingdom in 2003, mapping all breeding pairs of both study species, as well as the environmental characteristics of beaches and locations of visitors on the beach, the latter measured by filming from a light aircraft. Of the 1,003 200m sections of beach surveyed, 183 contained ringed Plover territories (267 breeding pairs) and 117 contained oystercatcher territories (226 breeding pairs). 38,634 human visitors to the beach were mapped from three flights. Population densities of both ringed Plovers and oystercatchers were lower in locations with high visitor numbers, even when accounting for the influence of the environmental characteristics of the beach. The two bird species showed similar rates of territory establishment at very low visitor rates, but oystercatchers showed a stronger negative response when visitor rates reached higher levels. Binary logistic regression models were used to identify areas where the birds would benefit most from reductions in the number of visitors and we illustrate how this information could be used to inform management around sites otherwise favourable for territory establishment.
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predicting the population consequences of human disturbance for ringed Plovers charadrius hiaticula a game theory approach
Ibis, 2007Co-Authors: Durwyn Liley, William J SutherlandAbstract:Human disturbance and its potential impacts upon bird populations are currently topical and contentious issues for conservationists. Although many studies have revealed a behavioural impact, or even direct effect on breeding success or survival, these cannot usually be extended to predict the impact on population size. Here we present a population model that allows predictions of the effect that changes in human numbers, visiting a 9-km-long section of the coastline, may have upon the size of a Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula population. Human disturbance affects Ringed Plovers in our study area through birds avoiding areas of high disturbance and, in addition, through the accidental trampling of a small number of nests by people walking on the beach. Using the level of human disturbance and habitat variables (which define territory quality) it is possible to predict which areas of beach are occupied and therefore the sites available to the population. Breeding success, for a given area of beach, can be predicted from habitat data. Incorporating known, density-independent, adult mortality allows the equilibrium population size to be predicted. This provides a model that predicts population size. This model is then used to predict the population that the site would support with different, hypothetical, levels of disturbance. If nest loss from human activity was prevented, for example by fencing nests, we predict the Plover population size would increase by 8%. A complete absence of human disturbance would cause a population increase of 85%. If the numbers of people were to double, we predict the population would decrease by 23%.
Terry Burke - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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allelic diversity and patterns of selection at the major histocompatibility complex class i and ii loci in a threatened shorebird the snowy Plover charadrius nivosus
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2020Co-Authors: Medardo Cruzlopez, Guillermo Fernandez, Helen Hipperson, Eduardo Palacios, John F Cavitt, Daniel Galindoespinosa, Salvador Gomez Del Angel, Raya Pruner, Oscar Gonzalez, Terry BurkeAbstract:Understanding the structure and variability of adaptive loci such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is a primary research goal for evolutionary and conservation genetics. Typically, classical MHC genes show high polymorphism and are under strong balancing selection, as their products trigger the adaptive immune response in vertebrates. Here, we assess the allelic diversity and patterns of selection for MHC class I and class II loci in a threatened shorebird with highly flexible mating and parental care behaviour, the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) across its broad geographic range. We determined the allelic and nucleotide diversity for MHC class I and class II genes using samples of 250 individuals from eight breeding population of Snowy Plovers. We found 40 alleles at MHC class I and six alleles at MHC class II, with individuals carrying two to seven different alleles (mean 3.70) at MHC class I and up to two alleles (mean 1.45) at MHC class II. Diversity was higher in the peptide-binding region, which suggests balancing selection. The MHC class I locus showed stronger signatures of both positive and negative selection than the MHC class II locus. Most alleles were present in more than one population. If present, private alleles generally occurred at very low frequencies in each population, except for the private alleles of MHC class I in one island population (Puerto Rico, lineage tenuirostris). Snowy Plovers exhibited an intermediate level of diversity at the MHC, similar to that reported in other Charadriiformes. The differences found in the patterns of selection between the class I and II loci are consistent with the hypothesis that different mechanisms shape the sequence evolution of MHC class I and class II genes. The rarity of private alleles across populations is consistent with high natal and breeding dispersal and the low genetic structure previously observed at neutral genetic markers in this species.
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conflict between genetic and phenotypic differentiation the evolutionary history of a lost and rediscovered shorebird
PLOS ONE, 2011Co-Authors: Frank E Rheindt, Monif Alrashidi, Tamas Szekely, Andras Kosztolanyi, Terry Burke, Scott V Edwards, Patricia L M Lee, Peter R Kennerley, David N Bakewell, Michael A WestonAbstract:Understanding and resolving conflicts between phenotypic and genetic differentiation is central to evolutionary research. While phenotypically monomorphic species may exhibit deep genetic divergences, some morphologically distinct taxa lack notable genetic differentiation. Here we conduct a molecular investigation of an enigmatic shorebird with a convoluted taxonomic history, the White-faced Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus), widely regarded as a subspecies of the Kentish Plover (C. alexandrinus). Described as distinct in 1863, its name was consistently misapplied in subsequent decades until taxonomic clarification ensued in 2008. Using a recently proposed test of species delimitation, we reconfirm the phenotypic distinctness of dealbatus. We then compare three mitochondrial and seven nuclear DNA markers among 278 samples of dealbatus and alexandrinus from across their breeding range and four other closely related Plovers. We fail to find any population genetic differentiation between dealbatus and alexandrinus, whereas the other species are deeply diverged at the study loci. Kentish Plovers join a small but growing list of species for which low levels of genetic differentiation are accompanied by the presence of strong phenotypic divergence, suggesting that diagnostic phenotypic characters may be encoded by few genes that are difficult to detect. Alternatively, gene expression differences may be crucial in producing different phenotypes whereas neutral differentiation may be lagging behind.
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kentish versus snowy Plover phenotypic and genetic analyses of charadrius alexandrinus reveal divergence of eurasian and american subspecies
The Auk, 2009Co-Authors: Clemens Kupper, Andras Kosztolanyi, Jakob Augustin, Terry Burke, Jordi Figuerola, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:ABSTRACT. Many shorebird species have widespread geographic distributions comprising several continents. Because shorebirds are excellent flyers and can migrate large distances, it is often unclear whether reproductive barriers between subspecies and populations from different continents exist. Kentish-Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) are cosmopolitan shorebirds. Whether the American and Eurasian subspecies-Snowy Plover and Kentish Plover, respectively—constitute a single species is the subject of a longstanding debate. We examined the divergence between American and Eurasian populations to reassess the current taxonomy by comparing genetic and phenotypic characters of the American subspecies C. a. nivosus and the Eurasian subspecies C. a. alexandrinus from seven populations. Genetic analyses revealed that American and Eurasian populations have strongly diverged, the Kentish Plover being more closely related to the White-fronted Plover (C. marginatus) than to the Snowy Plover. These results were co...
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kentish versus snowy Plover phenotypic and genetic analyses of charadrius alexandrinus reveal divergence of eurasian and american subspecies
The Auk, 2009Co-Authors: Clemens Kupper, Andras Kosztolanyi, Jakob Augustin, Terry Burke, Jordi Figuerola, Tamas SzekelyAbstract:ABSTRACT. Many shorebird species have widespread geographic distributions comprising several continents. Because shorebirds are excellent flyers and can migrate large distances, it is often unclear whether reproductive barriers between subspecies and populations from different continents exist. Kentish-Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) are cosmopolitan shorebirds. Whether the American and Eurasian subspecies-Snowy Plover and Kentish Plover, respectively—constitute a single species is the subject of a longstanding debate. We examined the divergence between American and Eurasian populations to reassess the current taxonomy by comparing genetic and phenotypic characters of the American subspecies C. a. nivosus and the Eurasian subspecies C. a. alexandrinus from seven populations. Genetic analyses revealed that American and Eurasian populations have strongly diverged, the Kentish Plover being more closely related to the White-fronted Plover (C. marginatus) than to the Snowy Plover. These results were co...