ABSTRACT

Island-endemic columbid species are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, extreme climatic events, and interactions with exotic species. The situation might be even more critical in the case of exploited species, where legal hunting and poaching can severely affect population dynamics. Here we document for the first time the genetic structure of the Scaly-naped Pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa, a Caribbean-endemic columbid species of cynegetic interest, over a large part of its range. Using both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear markers (microsatellites), we investigated gene flow, genetic diversity, and genetic structure among four islands populations originating from Puerto-Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Barbados. We found evidence for a significant genetic differentiation only between the Barbados and the three other populations, consistent with the fact that the Barbados population originated from a few captive individuals escaped from a rooftop aviary in Bridgetown about 100 years ago. Given the absence of genetic differentiation between Puerto Rico and the French Antilles, our results suggest that, apart from Barbados, the species may mainly consist of a single large, homogeneous population. We discuss the relevance of our findings in relation to management and conservation issues.

摘要

岛屿特有的游鸽物种特别容易受到环境退化、极端气候事件以及与外来物种相互作用的影响。对于被剥削的物种，情况可能更为严重，合法狩猎和偷猎会严重影响种群动态。在这里，我们首次记录了鳞枕鸽Patagioenas squamosa的遗传结构, 一种加勒比地区特有的鸽子物种，在其大部分范围内具有犬齿种的兴趣。我们使用线粒体 DNA 和核标记（微卫星）调查了来自波多黎各、瓜德罗普、马提尼克和巴巴多斯的四个岛屿种群的基因流、遗传多样性和遗传结构。我们发现了仅在巴巴多斯和其他三个种群之间存在显着遗传差异的证据，这与巴巴多斯种群起源于大约 100 年前从布里奇敦的屋顶鸟舍逃脱的一些圈养个体的事实一致。鉴于波多黎各和法属安的列斯群岛之间不存在遗传分化，我们的结果表明，除了巴巴多斯群岛之外，该物种可能主要由一个庞大的同质种群组成。