Two speed invasion: assisted and intrinsic dispersal of common mynas over 150-years of colonization

Aim: Despite the common myna’s widespread distribution, and the significant impact it has caused in parts of its non-native range, there have been no comprehensive genomic studies of its invasion of any region. We aimed to characterize the common myna invasion of the Australian continent to understand its population genetic landscape, introduction history, dispersal characteristics, and the interconnectedness between different source populations and invasive fronts. Location: Common mynas from 26 geographical locations spanning the Australian continent were utilized in this study.
Taxon: Common myna (Acridotheres tristis). Methods: We used a reduced genome representation method (DArTseq) to generate thousands of single nucleotide polymorphism markers in 462 common mynas. We then applied population genomic techniques to identify the common myna’s population attributes such as gene flow, genetic diversity and effective dispersal, all of which are critical for understanding geographical r...