Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs

Katherine Christie; Robert E. Wilson; James A. Johnson; Christian Friis; Christopher Harwood; Laura Anne McDuffie; Erica Nol; Sarah A. Sonsthagen

doi:10.3390/d15050595

USGS · 70256483

Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs

Katherine Christie·Robert E. Wilson·James A. Johnson·Christian Friis·Christopher Harwood·Laura Anne McDuffie·Erica Nol·Sarah A. Sonsthagen

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Abstract

Integrating tracking technology and molecular approaches provides a comprehensive picture of contemporary and evolutionary mechanisms promoting connectivity. We used mitochondrial DNA and double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing combined with satellite telemetry to investigate the connectivity of geographically disparate breeding populations of a declining boreal shorebird, the lesser yellowlegs ( Tringa flavipes ). We were able to track 33 individuals on their round-trip migrations to Central and South America and back to the boreal wetlands of North America. Nearly all (93%) adults captured on the breeding grounds returned to within 5 km of the original capture site, with a median dispersal distance of 629 m. While our telemetry data revealed limited breeding dispersal in adults, genetic data uncovered significant interconnectedness across the species’ range. Very little genetic structure was estimated at ddRAD autosomal ( Φ ST = 0.001), Z-linked ( Φ ST = 0.001), and mtDNA loci ( Φ ST = 0.020), and maximum likelihood-based clustering methods placed all individuals in a single cluster regardless of capture location, indicating the species is panmictic. Our data indicate that large-scale juvenile dispersal is the main mechanism maintaining connectivity in this species, resulting in the absence of genomic structure.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 48.861868738556126° to 69.02662634861974° latitude; -163.36054893364434° to -61.64108577602806° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Katherine Christie, Robert E. Wilson, James A. Johnson, Christian Friis, Christopher Harwood, Laura Anne McDuffie, Erica Nol, Sarah A. Sonsthagen. 2023-04-26. Movement and genomic methods reveal mechanisms promoting connectivity in a declining shorebird: The lesser yellowlegs. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050595

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