Data from: A longitudinal genetic survey identifies temporal shifts in the population structure of Dutch house sparrows

Dutch house sparrow (Passer domesticus) densities dropped by nearly 50%
since the early 1980s, and similar collapses in population sizes have been
reported across Europe. Whether, and to what extent, such relatively
recent demographic changes are accompanied by concomitant shifts in the
genetic population structure of this species needs further investigation.
Therefore, we here explore temporal shifts in genetic diversity, genetic
structure and effective sizes of seven Dutch house sparrow populations. To
allow the most powerful statistical inference, historical populations were
resampled at identical locations and each individual bird was genotyped
using nine polymorphic microsatellites. Although the demographic history
was not reflected by a reduction in genetic diversity, levels of genetic
differentiation increased over time, and the original, panmictic
population (inferred from the museum samples) diverged into two distinct
genetic clusters. Reductions in census size were supported by a
substantial reduction in effective population size, although to a smaller
extent. As most studies of contemporary house sparrow populations have
been unable to identify genetic signatures of recent population declines,
results of this study underpin the importance of longitudinal genetic
surveys to unravel cryptic genetic patterns.