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Population Genetic Structure and Conservation of the Lesser White-Fronted GooseAnser erythropus

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Abstract

The lesser white-fronted goose is a sub-Arctic species with a currently fragmented breeding range, which extends from Fennoscandia to easternmost Siberia. The population started to decline at the beginning of the last century and, with a current world population estimate of 25,000 individuals, it is the most threatened of the Palearctic goose species. Of these, only 30–50 pairs breed in Fennoscandia. A fragment of the control region of mtDNA was sequenced from 110 individuals from four breeding, one staging and two wintering areas to study geographic subdivisions and gene flow. Sequences defined 15 mtDNA haplotypes that were assigned to two mtDNA lineages. Both the mtDNA lineages were found from all sampled localities indicating a common ancestry and/or some level of gene flow. Analyses of molecular variance showed significant structuring among populations (φ ST 0.220, P < 0.001). The results presented here together with ecological data indicate that the lesser white-fronted goose is fragmented into three distinctive subpopulations, and thus, the conservation status of the species should be reconsidered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, POB 3000, FIN-90014, Oulu, Finland

    Minna Ruokonen, Laura Kvist, Juha Markkola & Jaakko Lumme

  2. Norwegian Ornithological Society, Sandgata 30B, N-7012, Trondheim, Norway

    Tomas Aarvak & Ingar J. Øien

  3. Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, Znamenskoye-Sadki, Moscow, 113628, Russia

    Vladimir V. Morozov

  4. Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science, Leninski Prospect 33, Moscow, Russia

    Eugeny E. Syroechkovsky Jr.

  5. WWF Finland, Lintulahdenkatu 10, FIN-00500, Helsinki, Finland

    Petteri Tolvanen

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  1. Minna Ruokonen
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Ruokonen, M., Kvist, L., Aarvak, T. et al. Population Genetic Structure and Conservation of the Lesser White-Fronted GooseAnser erythropus . Conservation Genetics 5, 501–512 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:COGE.0000041019.27119.b4

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