Information on the extent of genetic differentiation among seabird populations is essential for conservation planning. Here we used, for the first time in little penguins (Eudyptula minor), a next generation sequencing approach to investigate population genetic structure, gene flow and inbreeding among eight colonies in South Australia. We found that Troubridge Island individuals were genetically distinct from the other sampled colonies, and that colonies on all islands were connected by moderate levels of gene flow possibly due to migration from the Kangaroo Island colonies. While further genetic sampling is needed, these data support the idea that South Australia may be a zone of subtle and rapid genetic change for little penguins.

关于海鸟种群之间遗传分化程度的信息对于保护规划至关重要。在这里，我们首次在小企鹅（Eudyptula minor）中使用了下一代测序方法来研究南澳大利亚州八个殖民地之间的种群遗传结构，基因流和近交。我们发现，特鲁布里奇岛的个体在基因上与其他采样菌落不同，并且所有岛屿上的菌落都与中等水平的基因流相关联，这可能是由于从袋鼠岛菌落的迁移所致。尽管需要进一步的基因采样，但这些数据支持了南澳大利亚对于小企鹅来说可能是微妙而快速的遗传变化区域的想法。