Multilocus genetic analyses and spatial modeling reveal complex population structure and history in a widespread resident North American passerine (Perisoreus canadensis)

Abstract

An increasing body of studies of widely distributed, high latitude species shows a variety of refugial locations and population genetic patterns. We examined the effects of glaciations and dispersal barriers on the population genetic patterns of a widely distributed, high latitude, resident corvid, the gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis), using the highly variable mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and microsatellite markers combined with species distribution modeling. We sequenced 914 bp of mtDNA control region for 375 individuals from 37 populations and screened seven loci for 402 individuals from 27 populations across the gray jay range. We used species distribution modeling and a range of phylogeographic analyses (haplotype diversity, ΦST, SAMOVA, F ST, Bayesian clustering analyses) to examine evolutionary history and population genetic structure. MtDNA and microsatellite markers revealed significant genetic differentiation among populations with high concordance between markers. Paleodistribution models supported at least five potential areas of suitable gray jay habitat during the last glacial maximum and revealed distributions similar to the gray jay's contemporary during the last interglacial. Colonization from and prolonged isolation in multiple refugia is evident. Historical climatic fluctuations, the presence of multiple dispersal barriers, and highly restricted gene flow appear to be responsible for strong genetic diversification and differentiation in gray jays.

The influence of latitude, geographic distance, and habitat discontinuities on genetic variation in a high latitude montane species

“…In the Pacific Northwest, the legacy of the last glacial maximum (LGM) combined with contemporary landscape features on population genetic structure is especially evident. Within this region, many subalpine species exhibit concordant genetic breaks associated with habitat fragmentation and isolation across arid, low elevation barriers, emphasizing the role of habitat discontinuity on genetic diversity and population differentiation 9 – 14 .…”

“…Given the presence of geographic and ecological barriers and the glacial history of the region, western North America is an ideal area to examine the effect of landscape and dispersal barriers on population genetic structure. Many sedentary species exhibit restricted dispersal across these barriers 14 , 21 including the mountain chickadee ( Poecile gambeli ). Previous work on mountain chickadees demonstrated two well-supported mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) groups, an eastern (Rocky Mountains and Great Basin) and a western (Sierra Nevada and Cascades) clade 24 , although a recent study suggested contemporary gene flow may be occurring between these two clades 25 .…”

Landscape effects on the contemporary genetic structure of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) populations

“…The shift in Populus species (e.g., P. trichocarpa, P. angustifolia, P. balsamifera) between these regions is an example of how the environmental conditions in these areas differ and may be contributing to genetic structure through local adaptation. These shifts in vegetation communities correspond to patterns of genetic variation in other avian species in the Intermountain West and central Alberta (Adams, & Burg, 2015a;Dohms et al, 2017).…”

“…The environmental variables used in the LCC analysis explained much of the differentiation present among the populations sampled for this study (Table 5), but it is possible that additional, unsampled environmental factors are contributing to the genetic break at the CP population. These shifts in vegetation communities correspond to patterns of genetic variation in other avian species in the Intermountain West and central Alberta (Adams, & Burg, 2015a;Dohms et al, 2017). Sampling in other areas such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba could also provide additional insight into Ruffed Grouse population structure.…”

“…While most of the Alberta populations are not differentiated from one another, evidence from the nuclear loci show that the Crowsnest Pass population is isolated from all other populations (Figures 4, 5 and 6b). In some species, southwest Alberta populations are divergent from individuals sampled throughout the rest of Alberta, and instead group with either British Columbia populations (Adams, & Burg, 2015a) or Intermountain West (i.e., Montana, Idaho, Wyoming) populations (Dohms, Graham, & Burg, 2017;Pulgarín-R & Burg, 2012) implying that the geography of the Rocky Mountains may affect the genetic structure of species differently depending on their life history. Instead, the differentiation of the CP population likely arose due to contemporary barriers to gene flow.…”