scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA suggests recent origins in two coastal avian subspecies in northwestern North America

Author(s):  
Rebecca Cheek ◽  
Kyle K Campbell ◽  
Robert Dickerman ◽  
Berry Wijdeven ◽  
Kevin Winker

Genetic studies of subspecies endemic to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia and the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska have frequently found genetic corroboration for these phenotypically based taxa. Divergence and speciation are common among island populations of birds, and evidence suggests this region has fostered such divergence during previous glacial maxima. We examined genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of two coastal subspecies endemic to this region: sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus perobscurus) and great blue heron (Ardea herodias fannini). Genetic diversity in both species was remarkably low, with both coastal subspecies possessing only the most common haplotype found in continental populations. We found low but significant population divergence between A. s. perobscurus and continental populations of sharp-shinned hawks and no significant population divergence in the herons. The refugial history of the region suggests that these subspecies may have arisen relatively recently compared with other regional endemics for which genetic and phenotypic data both show divergence. Alternatively, species-wide selective sweeps of mtDNA prior to divergence may have rendered this genetic marker less useful for tracking that divergence.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Cheek ◽  
Kyle K Campbell ◽  
Robert Dickerman ◽  
Berry Wijdeven ◽  
Kevin Winker

Genetic studies of subspecies endemic to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia and the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska have frequently found genetic corroboration for these phenotypically based taxa. Divergence and speciation are common among island populations of birds, and evidence suggests this region has fostered such divergence during previous glacial maxima. We examined genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of two coastal subspecies endemic to this region: sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus perobscurus) and great blue heron (Ardea herodias fannini). Genetic diversity in both species was remarkably low, with both coastal subspecies possessing only the most common haplotype found in continental populations. We found low but significant population divergence between A. s. perobscurus and continental populations of sharp-shinned hawks and no significant population divergence in the herons. The refugial history of the region suggests that these subspecies may have arisen relatively recently compared with other regional endemics for which genetic and phenotypic data both show divergence. Alternatively, species-wide selective sweeps of mtDNA prior to divergence may have rendered this genetic marker less useful for tracking that divergence.


The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Hunt ◽  
Eldredge Bermingham ◽  
Robert E. Ricklefs

Abstract We constructed phylogenetic hypotheses for Greater and Lesser Antillean Mimidae, including five endemic species of tremblers and thrashers that represent the best plausible example of an avian radiation within the Lesser Antilles. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred from analysis of 3,491 base pairs (bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and roughly 780 bp of the nuclear-encoded myoglobin gene. We used a subset of mtDNA gene sequences and pcrRFLP analysis to evaluate the phylogeographic relationships among individuals representing island populations of the Brown and Gray tremblers (Cinclocerthia ruficauda and C. gutturalis), Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), Scaly-breasted Thrasher (Margarops fuscus), and Antillean and continental populations of the Tropical (Mimus gilvus) and Northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos). Phylogeographic analysis distinguished three strongly differentiated mtDNA clades among tremblers, as well as distinct southern (St. Lucia and Martinique) and northern (Dominica to Montserrat) mtDNA lineages of the Scaly-breasted Thrasher. Minor geographic subdivision was also observed between continental and Antillean populations of the Tropical Mockingbird. Phylogenetic analyses of species-level Mimidae relationships that are based on mtDNA and nuclear sequences provide strong support for the monophyly and Antillean origin of a clade that consists of the tremblers, Pearly-eyed Thrasher, and Scaly-breasted Thrasher, but reject the monophyly of the genus Margarops. Phylogenetic analysis cannot confirm the monophyly of all endemic Antillean mimids because of the apparently contemporaneous diversification of the Antillean White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus) with the continental Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and Black Catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris). However, an insertion and a deletion in the myoglobin intron 2 sequence support grouping the West Indian thrashers and tremblers, from which we infer that the endemic Lesser Antillean mimids are an indigenous radiation. Assuming a constant mtDNA clock for the Mimidae, the splitting of the Northern and Tropical mockingbird lineages is roughly contemporaneous with the separation of the three trembler clades, as well as the two Scaly-breasted Thrasher clades. Application of a mitochondrial DNA clock ticking at 2% sequence divergence per million years (Ma), suggests that the history of the endemic thrasher and trembler lineage in the West Indies extends back about 4 Ma, and the three distinct clades of tremblers split about 2 Ma ago.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim W. Rattay ◽  
Torsten Kluba ◽  
Ludger Schöls

AbstractA 53-year old male with a history of progressive visual impairment, hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy, and weight loss was referred to the rare disease center due to the suspicion of mitochondrial cytopathy. In line with mitochondrial dysfunction, lactate in CSF was increased. Genetic testing by whole-exome sequencing and mitochondrial DNA did not reveal a likely cause. The case remained unsolved until he developed pain in his right hip, where he had received total hip arthroplasty 12 years earlier. An orthopedic evaluation revealed substantial shrinkage of the head of the hip prosthesis. Due to metal-on-metal wear, debris chromium and cobalt levels in serum were massively increased and significantly improved with multisystemic impairment after exchanging the defective implant.


The Auk ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese A Catanach ◽  
Matthew R Halley ◽  
Julie M Allen ◽  
Jeff A Johnson ◽  
Russell Thorstrom ◽  
...  

Abstract More than one-third of the bird species found in the Caribbean are endemic to a set of neighboring islands or a single island. However, we have little knowledge of the evolutionary history of the Caribbean avifauna, and the lack of phylogenetic studies limits our understanding of the extent of endemism in the region. The Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) occurs widely across the Americas and includes 3 endemic Caribbean taxa: venator on Puerto Rico, striatus on Hispaniola, and fringilloides on Cuba. These island populations have undergone extreme declines presumably due to ecosystem changes caused by anthropogenic factors, as well as due to severe hurricanes. Sharp-shinned Hawks, in general, and Caribbean Sharp-shinned Hawks, in particular, have not been placed in a modern phylogenetic context. However, the island taxa have historically been presumed to have some ongoing gene flow with mainland populations. Here we sequenced ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and their flanking regions from 38 samples, focusing on Caribbean taxa. Using a combination of UCEs, mitochondrial genome sequences, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships among Caribbean lineages and their relationships to mainland taxa. We found that Caribbean Sharp-shinned Hawks are reciprocally monophyletic in all datasets with regard to mainland populations and among island taxa (with no shared mtDNA haplotypes) and that divergence in the NADH dehydrogenase 2 gene (ND2) between these mainland and island groups averaged 1.83%. Furthermore, sparse non-negative matrix factorization (sNMF) analysis indicated that Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and mainland samples each form separate populations with limited admixture. We argue that our findings are consistent with the recognition of the 3 resident Caribbean populations as species-level taxa because nuclear and mitochondrial genetic data indicate reciprocal monophyly and have species-level divergences, there is no sharing of mitochondrial haplotypes among or between island taxa and those on the mainland; and they are diagnosable by plumage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (29) ◽  
pp. 8041-8048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Zamudio ◽  
Rayna C. Bell ◽  
Nicholas A. Mason

Almost 30 y ago, the field of intraspecific phylogeography laid the foundation for spatially explicit and genealogically informed studies of population divergence. With new methods and markers, the focus in phylogeography shifted to previously unrecognized geographic genetic variation, thus reducing the attention paid to phenotypic variation in those same diverging lineages. Although phenotypic differences among lineages once provided the main data for studies of evolutionary change, the mechanisms shaping phenotypic differentiation and their integration with intraspecific genetic structure have been underexplored in phylogeographic studies. However, phenotypes are targets of selection and play important roles in species performance, recognition, and diversification. Here, we focus on three questions. First, how can phenotypes elucidate mechanisms underlying concordant or idiosyncratic responses of vertebrate species evolving in shared landscapes? Second, what mechanisms underlie the concordance or discordance of phenotypic and phylogeographic differentiation? Third, how can phylogeography contribute to our understanding of functional phenotypic evolution? We demonstrate that the integration of phenotypic data extends the reach of phylogeography to explain the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Finally, we stress the importance of natural history collections as sources of high-quality phenotypic data that span temporal and spatial axes.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e81952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevgin Demirci ◽  
Evren Koban Baştanlar ◽  
Nihan Dilşad Dağtaş ◽  
Evangelia Pişkin ◽  
Atilla Engin ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document