2005/09/13 by Tammy E. Steeves, David J. Anderson, Vicki L. Friesen · 58 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Genetic diversity and population structure #Avian ecology and behavior #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Biology #Biological dispersal #Gene flow #Phylogeography #Evolutionary biology #Population #Clade #Haplotype #Seabird #Isolation by distance #Ecology #Zoology #Genetic variation #Phylogenetics #Gene #Genetics #Demography
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2005.02713.x
published in Molecular Ecology 14(12), 3877-3887 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2005/09/13 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
To test the hypothesis that nonphysical barriers to gene flow play a role in the divergence of low-latitude seabird populations, we applied phylogeographic methods to mitochondrial control region sequence variation in a global sample of masked boobies (Sula dactylatra). In accord with previous studies, we found that Indo-Pacific and Atlantic haplotypes form two divergent lineages, excluding one haplotype previously attributed to secondary contact between the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Within the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic, we found a relatively large number of haplotypes, many of which were unique to a single population. Although haplotypes from most populations were found in more than one higher-level clade, nested clade analysis revealed a significant association between clades and geography for the majority of higher-level clades, most often interpreted as a consequence of isolation by distance. We found low levels of gene flow within Indo-Pacific and Atlantic populations, and a significant correlation between gene flow and geographical distance among Indo-Pacific populations. We estimate that Indo-Pacific masked boobies experienced rapid population growth approximately 180,000 years ago and that the majority of Indo-Pacific and Atlantic populations diverged within the last approximately 115,000 years. These combined data suggest that the predominant pattern between Indo-Pacific and Atlantic populations is long-term isolation by physical barriers to gene flow. In contrast, populations within these regions appear to have diverged despite few obvious physical barriers to gene flow, perhaps as a consequence of limited natal dispersal combined with local adaptation and/or genetic drift.