Supervisor University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Canada
Background/Question/Methods
Every year, thousands of bird species migrate great distances to utilize fluctuating resources. Birds make these epic migrations with alarming accuracy, returning to the same places each time. Birds have been forced to alter their migratory behaviour due to human interference including habitat loss, climate change and infrastructure development. While migration has been studied for decades, less is known about the genetic processes that cause annual migration and why migration may differ among populations of the same species. Understanding the genetics of migration is critical to shed light on whether birds can alter their migratory behaviour. My study focuses on the golden-crowned kinglet and the red-breasted nuthatch, small forest dwelling birds with both migratory and resident populations in North America. I used next-generation DNA sequencing to examine the differences between resident and migratory populations. I sequenced 41 individuals from 9 populations of kinglets and 87 individuals from 14 populations of nuthatches. Additionally, I examined wide scale population structure in each species to identify potentially isolated populations and determine likely barriers to gene flow. These barriers can include things such as mountain ranges and large bodies of water.
Results/Conclusions
Thus far I have identified two genetically distinct groups of kinglets, one in the east and the other in the west. These east and west groups are both primarily resident, with migratory individuals residing in central North America. It is likely that these two groups were in separate glacial refugia during the last glacial maximum and evolved in isolation, causing them to become genetically distinct groups. I am in the process of sequencing individuals from this central migratory range to determine where the east and west groups split, or if there is an additional central genetic group of kinglets. Currently I have not found any genetic structuring in the nuthatch populations. I am sequencing individuals from the northern most points of their range containing migratory populations, to fill in our sampling gap.
