Abstract
The ecological characteristics of a species, along with small-scale landscape features are known to affect the patterns of genetic structure within populations. Due to dispersal limitation, closely-related individuals tend to be closer spatially, leading to spatial genetic structure. Physical barriers also may prevent individuals from dispersing further, and lead individuals on one side of a barrier to be more related than individuals from different sides. We tested these hypotheses by examining patterns of fine-scale spatial genetic structure within populations of three relatively sedentary Amazonian-forest understorey birds that differ in their ecological requirements. We sampled birds in a 10,000 ha reserve, covered by largely undisturbed old-growth forests and traversed by a central ridge. We found positive spatial genetic structure at short distances only for Percnostola rufifrons, a treefall-gap specialist. Positive genetic structure occurred at 6 km for Glyphorynchus spirurus, a solitary bark-forager; no spatial genetic structure was found for Gymnopithys rufigula, an army-ant follower. Individuals of none of the three species were more related on a given side of the ridgeline than between different sides but, at greater distances, there was a tendency of individuals located on opposite sides of the ridgeline to be less related than individuals located on the same side, for all species analysed. Our study indicates that local topographic features do not prevent, but likely reduce, gene flow within populations in continuous forests, and that the development of fine-scale spatial genetic structure may depend on the dispersal propensity of a species. Thus, studies of species assemblages need to account for the different ecological characteristics of the constituent species.
Zusammenfassung
Schwache Hinweise auf eine räumlich-genetische Feinstruktur bei drei sesshaften Vögeln aus dem Unterholz des Amazonas Waldes Die ökologischen Eigenschaften einer Art beeinflussen zusammen mit kleinmaßstäbigen Landschaftsmerkmalen die Form der genetischen Struktur innerhalb von Populationen. Aufgrund einer begrenzten Ausbreitung befinden sich nahverwandte Individuen in räumlicher Nähe zueinander, was zu einer räumlich-genetischen Struktur führt. Physikalische Barrieren können ebenfalls die Individuen an einer weiteren Ausbreitung hindern. Das führt dazu, dass Individuen auf der einen Seite der Barriere näher miteinander verwandt sind als Individuen von unterschiedlichen Seiten. Wir haben diese Hypothesen durch die Untersuchung der räumlich-genetischen Feinstruktur innerhalb der Populationen von drei relativ sesshaften Vogelarten, die im Unterholz des Amazonas Regenwaldes leben und sich in ihren ökologischen Anforderungen unterscheiden, getestet. Die Proben wurden in einem 10.000 ha großen Reservat gesammelt, welches größtenteils mit unberührtem Primärwald bedeckt und von einer zentral liegenden Kammlinie durchzogen ist. Nur für Percnostola rufifrons haben wir eine positive räumlich-genetische Struktur auf kurzen Distanzen gefunden. Dieser ist ein Spezialist für kleine Lichtungen, sogenannte „treefall-gaps“. Eine positive räumlich-genetische Struktur wurde für den solitär lebenden Glyphorynchus spirurus bei einer Distanz von 6 km festgestellt, welcher nach Insekten in der Rinde von Bäumen sucht. Für den Wanderameisen folgenden Gymnopithys rufigula wurde keine räumlich-genetische Struktur gefunden. Hinzu kommt, dass bei allen Arten die Individuen auf einer Seite der Kammlinie nicht näher verwandt waren als Individuen von unterschiedlichen Seiten. Auf größere Distanzen gesehen, konnte für alle drei Vogelarten eine Tendenz festgestellt werden, dass Individuen von unterschiedlichen Seiten der Kammlinie weniger miteinander verwandt waren als Individuen einer Seite. Unsere Studie zeigt, dass lokale topografische Gegebenheiten nicht den Genfluss in Populationen in zusammenhängenden Wäldern verhindern, aber möglicherweise reduzieren und dass die Entstehung einer räumlich-genetischen Feinstruktur vermutlich von der Ausbreitungsneigung der Art abhängt. Folglich müssen bei Untersuchungen zu Artenzusammensetzungen die verschiedenen ökologischen Besonderheiten der einzelnen Spezies berücksichtigten.
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Acknowledgements
The Brazilian Science Funding Agency CAPES awarded a stipend to JM (Process 12401-12-9). The Brazilian Program for Biodiversity Research PPBio (Grant 457544/2012-0), the National Institute for Amazonian Biodiversity INCT-CENBAM (Grant 573721/2008-4) and the Brazilian Long-Term Ecological Research Project PELD (Grant 403764/2012-2) through the Brazilian National Research Council CNPq supported this study. Fieldwork infrastructure, guidance and technical support was provided by INPA, PPBio, PELD and the program Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA). The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research-iDiv provided additional support for consumables.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All activities involving birds were conducted under approval of the Brazilian Centre for Bird Conservation-CEMAVE (Permit 3576) and the Brazilian Biodiversity Authorization and Information System-SISBIO (Permit 34850). All necessary steps to minimize animal suffering during handling were taken and birds were never kept in captivity or injured by any means. None of the three studied species is globally threatened (BirdLifeInternational 2016).
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Menger, J., Unrein, J., Woitow, M. et al. Weak evidence for fine-scale genetic spatial structure in three sedentary Amazonian understorey birds. J Ornithol 159, 355–366 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1507-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1507-y