Barriers acting on the genetic structure of a highly aerial seabird: The magnificent frigatebird

Population genetic structure of Mexican Magnificent Frigatebirds: an integrative analysis of the influence of reproductive behavior and sex-biased dispersal

“…Frigatebird tagging and blood collection. As part of this and other studies (Madsen, 2005;González and de la Cueva, 2007;Madsen et al, 2007a;Madsen et al, 2007b;González-Jaramillo et al, 2010;González-Jaramillo and Rocha-Olivares, 2011), almost 2 800 frigatebirds nesting in Isabel Island were banded on the left wing (numbered nylon yellow canvas tags 20 × 8 cm and 10.8 gr) and ringed using numbered metal rings on the left tarsus from 1998 to 2003. Six satellite radio-transmitters were fitted on the backs of 3 banded males and 3 banded females in 1999 (V. Madsen pers.…”

“…Sex-biased mating patterns and breeding dispersal are social behaviors that promote genetic variation, within and between neighboring colonies, and both influence the average relatedness (i.e., coancestry) of colony members, usually among those of the philopatric sex (Sugg et al, 1996;Ross, 2001). Because in seabird species with high dispersal capability, such as frigatebirds, distance per se seems an unlikely mechanism for restricting gene flow, genetic structure has been related to behavioral factors promoting breeding isolation, such as sex-specific postbreeding movement patterns and mating preferences (Dearborn et al, 2003;Cohen and Dearborn, 2004;González-Jaramillo and Rocha-Olivares, 2011;Hailer et al, 2011). Assessing the influence of the breeding system and sex-biased dispersal on the genetic structure of populations can be achieved with the complementary use of genetic markers with different types of inheritance (e.g., biparental nuclear DNA and matrilineal mitochondrial DNA, .…”

“…In that study, only 5 historical museum specimens (4 collected in 1895 and 1 in 1961) from the Pacific coast of Mexico were genetically analyzed (only for mtDNA). On the other hand, González-Jaramillo and Rocha-Olivares (2011) focused their mtDNA sequence analyses on contemporaneous organisms from the major frigatebird Mexican breeding colonies, 3 in the Pacific and 1 in the Caribbean, finding genetic differentiation between Pacific and Caribbean Mexican breeding colonies, but none among the Pacific colonies. Contrasting as they are, these 2 studies are not directly contradictory as both suggest behavior as a prime cause of the detected genetic differentiation between colonies (Galapagos vs. Pacific coast of Panama, and Pacific vs. Caribbean, respectively).…”

Population Genetic Structure of the Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens (Aves, Suliformes) Breeding Colonies in the Western Atlantic Ocean

“…This raises the question if this species may disperse over wide land areas. Indeed, González-Jaramillo & Rocha-Olivares [ 36 ] found that Mexican populations of F . magnificens from the Pacific or Atlantic coast share mtDNA haplotypes, and Hailer et al .…”

“…Studies in both F . magnificens [ 8 ], [ 36 ], [ 37 ], and F . minor [ 38 ], [ 39 ] are unanimous in suggesting that isolation by distance is absent in these birds, and that other factors, including behavioral and ecological traits may be responsible for genetic structure among colonies.…”