As an obligate salt marsh species, Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) are vulnerable to numerous threats including climate change, coastal erosion, sea-level rise, and both natural and anthropogenic disasters. Of the 9 recognized subspecies, 2 are extinct and 1 is endangered. Previous genetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite loci showed that current taxonomy does not accurately reflect underlying genetic diversity, with possible consequences for the distribution of conservation resources. To further inform Seaside Sparrow management, we comprehensively describe genetic structure among 24 range-wide sampling locations that include all extant subspecies. We inferred population structure from several thousand single-nucleotide polymorphisms collected from 272 individuals via restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing. Principal components, pairwise FST values, and clustering approaches suggest that Seaside Sparrows on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are distinct and consist of at least 5 genetic clusters: 1 in southern Texas, 1 ranging from Aransas County, Texas, to Mississippi; 1 in western Florida; and 2 or 3 genetic groups intermixed along a gradient on the Atlantic Coast. These genetic clusters are not consistent with current subspecies taxonomy and could be used as distinct population segments (DPSs) to inform the most efficient allocation of resources to Seaside Sparrow conservation. Our results regarding the endangered subspecies, A. m. mirabilis, from southern Florida are inconclusive due to low sample size, but indicate that it is distinct and may represent a sixth DPS. Based on our genetic results, we recommend additional song and morphometric analyses in western Florida and a closer study of the boundary between the breeding distributions of A. m. maritima and A. m. macgillivraii to ensure the proper identification of DPSs.

中文翻译：

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海边麻雀（Ammospiza maritima）的全范围种群遗传分析支持至少五个与当前亚种描述不相符的不同种群部分

作为一种专性盐沼物种，海边麻雀 (Ammospiza maritima) 容易受到众多威胁，包括气候变化、海岸侵蚀、海平面上升以及自然和人为灾害。在 9 个公认的亚种中，2 个已灭绝，1 个濒临灭绝。先前对线粒体 DNA (mtDNA) 和微卫星基因座的遗传分析表明，当前的分类法不能准确反映潜在的遗传多样性，可能对保护资源的分布产生影响。为了进一步了解 Seaside Sparrow 管理，我们全面描述了 24 个范围广泛的采样位置中的遗传结构，其中包括所有现存的亚种。我们通过限制性位点相关的 DNA 测序从 272 名个体收集的数千个单核苷酸多态性推断种群结构。主成分、成对 FST 值和聚类方法表明，大西洋和墨西哥湾沿岸的海边麻雀是不同的，并且至少包含 5 个遗传集群：1 个位于德克萨斯州南部，1 个位于德克萨斯州的阿兰萨斯县到密西西比州；1在佛罗里达州西部；和 2 或 3 个基因组沿大西洋沿岸的梯度混合。这些遗传集群与当前的亚种分类不一致，可用作不同的种群部分（DPS），以告知最有效的资源分配给海滨麻雀保护。我们关于濒危亚种的结果，A. m. 来自佛罗里达州南部的奇异果由于样本量小而不确定，但表明它是独特的，可能代表第六个 DPS。根据我们的基因结果，我们建议在佛罗里达州西部进行额外的歌曲和形态测量分析，并对 A. m. 繁殖分布之间的边界进行更仔细的研究。maritima 和 A. m. macgillivraii 以确保正确识别 DPS。