Assortative mating frames establishment in a young island bird population

Successful island colonizations are key events to understand range dynamic processes, but studying a young population right after it reaches establishment is a rare opportunity in natural systems. However, the genetic structure of a recently established population may offer unique insights into its colonization history and demographic processes important for a successful colonization. Here, we studied the population genetics of a recently established island population of Eurasian blackbirds (Aves: Turdus merula) located on the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea. Using microsatellites, we genotyped the majority of the island population, including the nestlings, over a four-year period between 2004 and 2007. We also genotyped high numbers of migrants on stopover and mainland individuals, as they are potential founders of the island population. We identified two genetic clusters that comply with the migrating and mainland birds respectively. While most of the island birds belong ...

成功的岛屿定殖事件是理解物种分布范围动态过程的关键节点，但在自然系统中，直接研究种群成功定殖后的早期群体仍是极为难得的研究契机。不过，新近定殖种群的遗传结构，可为其定殖历史与助力定殖成功的种群动态过程提供独特的研究视角。本研究以位于德国北海黑尔戈兰岛（Heligoland）的新近定殖欧亚乌鸫（Eurasian blackbirds，Aves: Turdus merula）岛屿种群为对象开展群体遗传学分析。研究团队于2004至2007年的四年间，利用微卫星（microsatellites）分子标记对该岛屿种群的绝大多数个体（包括雏鸟）进行了基因分型。同时，我们还对大量过境迁徙个体及大陆种群个体进行了基因分型——这些个体均为该岛屿种群的潜在奠基者。本研究鉴定出两个遗传聚类群，分别对应迁徙鸟类与大陆种群鸟类。而绝大多数岛屿种群个体隶属于……