Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) 3dRADseq and msat data

The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) is a medium sized seabird found
throughout the North Pacific Ocean. Although populations of tufted puffins
appear to be stable or increasing in some parts of their distribution,
they are experiencing significant declines in other parts of their
distribution, including in the Gulf of Alaska. Assessments of tufted
puffin population status in Alaska are currently limited because little is
known about population genetic structure. Similarly, there is little
information on the amount of dispersal between populations in Alaska, and
between populations in Alaska and those in the southern portion of the
species’ range. If genetic analyses reveal significant genetic
differentiation between tufted puffins nesting in different regions of
Alaska, or evidence of local adaptation, then the apparent decline in the
Gulf of Alaska becomes more of a conservation concern. There is general
consensus within the tufted puffin research and management community that
a study of population genetic structure is a high priority. As part of our
ongoing research, we conducted genetic analysis to determine if tufted
puffin nesting colonies form single or multiple conservation units, and
populations show evidence of local adaptation, using traditional
population genetic analysis and next-generation sequencing techniques.
Continuing analyses of genome-wide associations between environment and
genetic adaptation for tufted puffins will also provide greater insight
into how coastal seabird populations in the temperate North Pacific Ocean
are coping with the effects of climate change.