Genetic Population Structure of the Federally Endangered ...
AN ASSESSMENT OF POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE IN ...
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AN ASSESSMENT OF POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE
IN GUILLEMOTS (CEPPHUS)
by
BRONWYN ANNECY SEABROOK HARKNESS
A thesis submitted to the Department of Biology
in conformity with the requirements for the
degree of Master of Science
Queen’s University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
October 2017
Copyright © Bronwyn Annecy Seabrook Harkness, 2017
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Abstract
Understanding how evolutionary forces shape population genetic structure is a principal goal of
evolutionary geneticists. Guillemots (Aves: Charadriiformes: Alcidae: Cepphus) provide useful
systems for investigating population genetic differentiation in a genus with a wide geographic
range that disperses according to a one-dimensional stepping stone model. Guillemots may also
be highly vulnerable to climate change in parts of their range. For this reason, identifying
population genetic structure is important for their successful management and conservation. I
used various genetic markers and methods to assess population genetic variation in pigeon
guillemots (C. columba) and black guillemots (C. grylle). In both species, I found evidence of
limited dispersal and restricted gene flow between distant populations. Genetic differentiation
appeared to follow a pattern of isolation by distance in both species. In pigeon guillemots,
evidence suggested that population genetic structure arose through a combination of both
historical and contemporary processes. Based on my results, I recommend that pigeon guillemot
subspecies be revised. I also suggest that pigeon guillemot populations in the Aleutian Islands be
considered for designation as an evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) as their differentiation has
been strongly influenced by historical processes. Population genetic structure in black guillemots
did agree with current subspecies delineations. Based on the level of variation detected within the
subspecies however, I would recommend that black guillemots be treated as management units.
The results from this study hold promising insight into how patterns of gene flow can lead to
different patterns of population genetic structure.
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Co-authorship
Chapter 2
Bronwyn A. S. Harkness*, Veronica F. Poland, Gabriela Ibarguchi, John F. Piatt, and Vicki L.
Friesen
Bronwyn A. S. Harkness
Generated nuclear data for Southeast Alaska population,
performed all statistical analyses, and wrote final manuscript.
Veronica F. Poland
Generated mitochondrial data for pigeon guillemots.
Gabriela Ibarguchi
Generated microsatellite and intron data for pigeon guillemots
(with the exception of the Southeast Alaska population).
John F. Piatt
Helped with initial project design, sample collection, and funding.
Vicki L. Friesen
Helped with initial project design, provided funding, advised on
project progression, and edited drafts of manuscript.
Chapter 3
Bronwyn A. S. Harkness*, Gregory J. Robertson, and Vicki L. Friesen
Bronwyn A. S. Harkness
Helped with initial project design, generated ddRADseq data,
performed all statistical analyses, and wrote final manuscript.
Gregory J. Robertson
Helped with initial project design, sample collection, and funding.
Vicki L. Friesen Helped with initial project design, provided funding, collected
samples, advised on project progression, and edited drafts of
manuscript.
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Acknowledgements
Firstly, thank you to my supervisor, Vicki Friesen, for giving me the opportunity to work on this
project. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support – being a graduate
student in your lab has been an incredible learning experience! Thank you to Laurene Ratcliffe
and Rob Colautti for sharing their bountiful knowledge and offering insightful critiques as
members of my advisory committee. Thank you to Tim Birt for helping me to develop my lab
skills and for providing guidance and wisdom when I was faced with challenges in the lab. To
Greg Robertson, thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of fieldwork and allowing
me to join your team each summer, I will always cherish my time in Newfoundland. Thank you
to all the members of the Friesen lab for their continued support. Thank you especially to Becky
Taylor, Drew Sauve, and Anna Tigano for their friendship and guidance throughout this degree.
Each chapter of this thesis could not have been completed without the help of a large
number of people and organizations. Thanks to Chapter 2 co-authors V.L. Friesen, G. Ibarguchi,
V.F Poland, and J.F. Piatt for their individual contributions to this study. Thanks to T.Birt, L.
Hayes, J. Holder, M. Litzow, A. Marr, J. Moy, J. Pitocchelli, A. Pritchard, S. Speckman, B.
Sydeman, A. Burger, and T. Van Pelt, for collection of samples, and M. Kidd and J. Moy for
DNA extractions. T. Birt, Z. Sun, and R. Taylor provided technical advice during lab work. S.
Wallace assisted with analyses. V.L. Friesen and R. Colautti provided comments / suggestions
for improving the manuscript. I am grateful to D. Jelinski, V. Byrd, the research vessel Tiglax
and crew, AMNWR, USFWS and USGS for logistical help. Funding for this chapter was
provided by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Office, a Natural Science and Engineering
Research Council (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award, and an NSERC Discovery
Grant to Vicki Friesen.
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Thanks to Chapter 3 co-authors G.J. Robertson and V.L. Friesen for their individual
contributions to this study. Thanks to G. Divoky, R. Ronconi, T. Gaston, M. Kassera, and M.
Kidd for collection of samples. Funding for this chapter was provided by the STAGE program of
Environment and Climate Change Canada and an NSERC Discovery Grant to Vicki Friesen.
Thank you to the American Ornithological Society, Canadian Society of Ornithologists, and
Queen’s University for funding travel to meetings.
Finally, thank you to my family for their continued love and support, I couldn’t have done
it without you!
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Table of Contents
Abstract..................................................................................................................................... ii
Co-Authorship........................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................... iv
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables............................................................................................................................ ix
List of Figures........................................................................................................................... x
List of Abbreviations................................................................................................................ Xii
Chapter 1 : General Introduction.............................................................................................. 1
Study Species.................................................................................................................... 3
Methodology..................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose.............................................................................................................................. 6
Importance........................................................................................................................ 6
Chapter 2 : Both historical and contemporary processes lead to population genetic differentiation
in pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) ................................................................................ 8
Abstract............................................................................................................................. 8
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 9
Methods............................................................................................................................. 11
Sampling and DNA Screening.................................................................................. 11
Mitochondrial Control Region.......................................................................... 12
Microsatellites................................................................................................... 12
Introns............................................................................................................... 13
Data Analyses........................................................................................................... 13
Tests of Neutrality and Variability................................................................... 13
Population Differentiation................................................................................ 14
Phylogenetic Relationships............................................................................... 15
Population History............................................................................................ 16
Results............................................................................................................................... 17
Tests of Neutrality and Variability................................................................... 17
Population Differentiation................................................................................ 19
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Phylogenetic Relationships............................................................................... 20
Population History............................................................................................ 21
Discussion......................................................................................................................... 21
Population Genetic Structure.................................................................................... 21
Evolutionary History................................................................................................. 22
Evidence for Historical Isolation...................................................................... 22
Evidence for Contemporary Differentiation..................................................... 23
Subspecies................................................................................................................. 24
Future Directions...................................................................................................... 25
Chapter 3 : An assessment of population genomic structure in black guillemots (Cepphus grylle)
in North America...................................................................................................................... 40
Abstract............................................................................................................................. 40
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 41
Methods............................................................................................................................. 45
Sample Collection and DNA Extraction................................................................... 45
Library Preparation and Quality Filtering................................................................. 46
Alignment with Reference Genome.................................................................. 46
Data Analyses........................................................................................................... 47
Population Genetic Analysis............................................................................. 47
Outlier Analysis................................................................................................ 48
Results............................................................................................................................... 49
Population Genetic Analysis............................................................................. 49
Outlier Analysis................................................................................................ 50
Discussion......................................................................................................................... 51
Population Genetic Structure............................................................................ 51
Isolation by Distance......................................................................................... 53
Outlier Analysis : Possible Adaptation to Climatic Regions............................ 54
Subspecies and Management............................................................................ 55
Future Directions.............................................................................................. 55
Chapter 4 : General Discussion................................................................................................. 65
Population Genetic Structure............................................................................................ 65
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Isolation by Distance......................................................................................................... 65
Evolutionary History......................................................................................................... 66
Outlier Analysis................................................................................................................ 67
Subspecies and Management............................................................................................ 67
Importance........................................................................................................................ 68
Future Directions.............................................................................................................. 68
Summary : Chapter 2................................................................................................................ 70
Summary : Chapter 3................................................................................................................ 71
Literature Cited......................................................................................................................... 72
Appendix A : Supplementary Material for Chapter 2............................................................... 85
Appendix B : Supplementary Material for Chapter 3............................................................... 101
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List of Tables
Table 2.1 Subspecies, sampling regions, abbreviations, sites, and numbers (n) for pigeon
guillemots.................................................................................................................................... 26
Table 2.2 Number of haplotypes, haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity, observed and
expected F values for Ewens-Watterson test of neutrality and probabilities of neutrality for
Chakraborty’s tests...................................................................................................................... 27
Table 2.3 Observed/expected heterozygosity estimates for pigeon guillemot nuclear loci....... 28
Table 2.4 Estimates of ΦST / FST for pairwise comparisons of pigeon guillemot regional
samples........................................................................................................................................ 29
Table 3.1 Subspecies, sampling regions, region abbreviations, sites, and sample numbers (n)
for black guillemots.................................................................................................................... 57
Table 3.2 Summary statistics for all populations across variant nucleotide sites and all
sites.............................................................................................................................................. 58
Table 3.3 Estimates of FST for pairwise comparisons of black guillemot regional samples...... 59
x
List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Breeding distribution of pigeon guillemots, and sampling sites.............................. 32
Figure 2.2 A statistical parsimony haplotype network derived for control region sequences
of pigeon guillemots................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 2.3 Regression plot from Mantel test testing for correlation between genetic distance
(Slatkin’s linearized FST) and geographic distance (log-transformed shoreline distance)
using both mitochondrial and nuclear data................................................................................. 34
Figure 2.4 Probabilities of assignment of individuals to each of two genetic populations
(K=2) derived from the program STRUCTURE, based on genetic variation in nuclear loci of
pigeon guillemots....................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 2.5A Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in pigeon
guillemots (grouped by population)........................................................................................... 36
Figure 2.5B Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in pigeon
guillemots (grouped by subspecies)........................................................................................... 37
Figure 2.5C Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in pigeon
guillemots (grouped by membership to Aleutian Islands)......................................................... 38
Figure 2.6 Phylogenic relationships among mitochondrial control region sequences of
pigeon guillemots from different regions, using BEAST........................................................... 39
Figure 3.1 Distribution map of black guillemots and sampling sites........................................ 61
Figure 3.2A Probabilities of assignment of individuals to different genetic populations
derived from the program STRUCTURE, based on genetic variation in nuclear loci of black
guillemots (K = 2)...................................................................................................................... 62
Figure 3.2B Probabilities of assignment of individuals to different genetic populations
derived from the program STRUCTURE, based on genetic variation in nuclear loci of black
guillemots (K = 3)...................................................................................................................... 62
Figure 3.3A Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in black
guillemots (grouped by population)........................................................................................... 63
Figure 3.3B Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in black
guillemots (grouped by subspecies)........................................................................................... 63
Figure 3.4 Regression plot from Mantel test testing for correlation between genetic distance
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(Slatkin’s linearized FST) and geographic distance (log-transformed shoreline
distance)......................................................................................................................................
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List of Abbreviations
α Significance level of the test
ABC Approximate Bayesian computation
AFLP Amplified fragment length polymorphism
AMOVA Analysis of molecular variance
ANOVA Analysis of variance
B-Y Benjamini-Yekutieli
BIC Bayesian information criterion
bp Base pair
D Slatkin’s linearized FST
ddRADseq Double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing
ESU Evolutionarily significant unit
FIS Inbreeding coefficient
FST Fixation index, measure of population differentiation (nuclear DNA)
h Haplotype diversity
HKY+G Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano substitution model with a gamma distribution
Ho Observed heterozygosity
IBIS l’Institut de biologie integrative et des systèmes
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature
K Number of genetic populations
MCMC Markov chain Monte Carlo
mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA
MU Management unit
MYA Million years ago
n Sample size
π Nucleotide diversity
p Statistical probability
P Average major allele frequency
PCA Principal components analysis
PCR Polymerase chain reaction
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r Correlation coefficient
ra Rate of admixture
SNP Single nucleotide polymorphism
tn Time of divergence event
ΔK Second order change in posterior probability
ΦST Measure of population differentiation (mitochondrial DNA)
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Chapter 1
General Introduction
Gene flow is one of the major processes that shape the population genetic structure of a species.
It is often thought of as a constraining force to evolution, but it can also be a creative force
(Slatkin 1987; Ellstrand and Rieseberg 2016). The role of gene flow in genetic differentiation
and ultimately speciation depends on a number of historical and contemporary factors, one of
which is the pattern of gene flow. If migrants follow an n-island model of dispersal (i.e. are
exchanged at random among populations), then in theory one migrant per generation will
homogenize allele frequencies (Wright 1969). However if migrants disperse according to a
stepping stone model (i.e. primarily between neighbouring colonies), especially if populations are
dispersed linearly, then we would expect gene flow to be less effective at counteracting genetic
drift (Kimura and Weiss 1964). As a result, we would expect population genetic structure to be
stronger in species that follow a one-dimensional stepping stone model of dispersal than in those
following an n-island model. As well, in the case of the stepping stone model, dispersal is often
constrained by distance and this can result in isolation by distance (Mantel 1967). Consequently,
populations situated more closely geographically tend to be more genetically similar (Hutchison
and Templeton 1999). With the island model of dispersal, genetic differentiation would be
independent of geographic distribution (Allendorf et al. 2013).
Isolation by distance through restricted dispersal has been demonstrated in species across a
number of taxa. Balanophyllia elegans, a solitary stony coral, possesses crawling larvae, which
are capable of only limited dispersal (Hellberg 1995). At a spatial scale of 1 to 50 km, B. elegans
appeared to follow the one-dimensional stepping stone model of dispersal. Gene flow and
genetic drift had equilibrated and the author suggested that isolation by distance could be
facilitating local adaptation. (At a broader spatial scale this pattern was not observed). The
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Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a catadromous estuarine fish, disperses linearly along
the coastline and gene flow is limited to the parental catchment area and neighbouring rivers
(Russell and Garrett 1988; Chenoweth et al. 1998). Geographic distance explained 23% -79% of
mitochondrial gene flow in these fish, suggesting that genetic differentiation was a result of
isolation by distance. The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) breeds in coastal waters of the Atlantic
Ocean, close to the mouths of bays and estuaries (Matlock 1987). Adults are capable of large-
scale dispersal, but movement of young is relatively limited. Genetic variation in red drum was
spatially distributed according to an isolation by distance pattern. Dispersal occurred according
to a modified stepping stone model, where movement is not limited strictly to adjacent water
bodies but dispersal to these areas occurs with a higher probability (Gold et al. 2001). The
Arizona tree frog (Hyla wrightorum), a dryland anuran that breeds in ponds, showed significant
genetic differentiation between populations (Mims et al. 2016). Geographic distance appeared to
be the primary driver of population genetic structure (with influences by slope and canopy cover
as well). This was in contrast to other pond breeding anurans that exhibited little / no genetic
structure but it was likely due to differences in life history traits (e.g. desiccation tolerance,
mobility, fecundity, population sizes, and duration of larval phase). White-throated dipper
(Cinclus cinclus) populations in the Iberian Peninsula were genetically differentiated, with
genetic distances significantly correlating with geographical distances (Hernández et al. 2016).
The white-throated dipper is a riverine bird that is highly dependent on fast flowing streams with
shallow, clear water. Genetic variation between populations could possibly be due to a lack of
suitable habitat, limiting dispersal and colonization. The Eurasian badger (Meles meles)
experienced limited dispersal and exhibited strong philopatry (Pope et al. 2006). The amount of
genetic diversity in badgers is thought to have been influenced by Pleistocene glaciations, but
these effects have contemporarily been replaced by a strong pattern of isolation by distance. This
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pattern of genetic differentiation is attributed to restricted dispersal among individuals. From
these examples, it is clear that life history traits and especially patterns of gene flow can lead to
different patterns of population genetic structure.
Specific patterns of gene flow are rarely known for seabirds. A review by Friesen et al.
(2007) assessed studies of geographic variation in mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) in seabirds to
test the importance of various factors in generating population genetic and phylogeographic
structure and found that colony distribution (nesting in small colonies on coastal cliffs / islands
vs. nesting primarily in large colonies on offshore islands) had a weak effect on population
genetic structure. Genetic distance also correlated with geographic distance in many of the
studies reviewed by Friesen et al. (2007), which is what we would expect if dispersal occurred
primarily between neighbouring colonies. Birds in the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes)
are varied in their colony distribution and population genetic structure.
Study Species
Guillemots (Charadriiformes : Alcidae : Cepphus) are arctic seabirds that breed in polar regions
and partway down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, Europe, and Asia.
Guillemots will avoid flying over large expanses of land and open water / ice (Udvardy 1963),
and are found in higher densities along boundaries of land or ice and marine water (Bradstreet
1979). Philopatry is thought to be relatively strong in guillemots, with breeding dispersal
occurring much less often than natal dispersal and over much shorter distances (Austin 1929;
Frederiksen and Petersen 1999, 2000). Guillemots possess many characteristics that set them
apart from other seabirds and even other alcids. Unlike other alcids, guillemots are essentially
resident at colonies year-round and overwinter at the ice edge (Ewins 1985). Guillemots typically
forage on small demersal fish in shallow coastal waters closely surrounding colonies (Golet et al.
2000; Divoky 2011). Guillemots are also one of the few arctic seabirds with geographic variation
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in morphology, with clines in body size, wing and tarsal length, culmen length, and quantity of
white on the wing depending on the species (Storer 1952). In a comparison between guillemots
and murres (Charadriiformes : Alcidae : Uria) Storer (1952) suggested that the greater
geographical variation in morphology in guillemots compared to murres could be due to the
difference in colony distribution: guillemots nest primarily in small, dispersed colonies on coastal
cliffs and nearshore islands (Cairns 1980), whereas murres nest in fewer, much larger colonies on
offshore islands. A previous study on guillemots using the mitochondrial control region found
pronounced population genetic structure which could have arisen as a result of historical isolation
in glacial refugia during the Pleistocene (Kidd and Friesen 1998). This is in contrast to many
other alcids that show little to no genetic differentiation between populations (reviewed in
Friesen 2015). The combination of these factors points towards limited dispersal in guillemots
and the potential for population genetic structure.
Methodology
Double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) (Peterson et al.
2012) is a tool that has become increasingly popular for answering questions about population
differentiation within species. It offers a number of advantages over other genotyping techniques,
for example, it does not require the design of species-specific primers and so no prior knowledge
about the organism’s genomic sequence is required (Dierickx et al. 2015). This makes
ddRADseq well suited for studies involving endangered or non-model species. In addition,
because of the large numbers of markers produced, fewer individuals are needed to resolve
accurate population genetic parameters and structure, which makes ddRADseq particularly useful
for species that might be rare or difficult to sample in the field (Dierickx et al. 2015). Finally, the
cost of ddRADseq is relatively low and it often provides a more robust analysis of the species’
population genetics. For example, in cases where low genetic differentiation is found using low
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numbers of markers, larger numbers of markers from next-generation sequencing are usually able
to resolve some structure within the species (Toews et al. 2016). Ruegg et al. (2014)
demonstrated this when they revisited population structure in Wilson’s warblers (Wilsonia
pusilla). Irwin et al. (2011) had originally assayed Wilson’s warblers with amplified fragment
length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and found that the species was split into well-defined western
and eastern groups and possible species level differences were detected. Ruegg et al. (2014)
found the same broad patterns when they compared populations using ddRADseq but they also
found evidence for structuring within the western subspecies that had been missed by AFLPs,
although some structuring had previously been detected by mtDNA (Kimura et al. 2002, Paxton
et al. 2013). Results from ddRADseq studies are now being used to determine implications of
genetic differentiation for conservation purposes. For example, Dierickx et al. (2015) compared
variation of Hawaiian and Japanese black-footed albatrosses (Phoebastria nigripes). Previous
studies on this species performed with mtDNA and microsatellites reported contrasting
conclusions, with some studies finding significant differentiation between populations (Walsh
and Edwards 2005; Ando et al. 2014) and others suggesting that they do not differ significantly
(Eda et al. 2008). With ddRADseq, Dierickx et al. (2015) found that genetic variation was low,
but differed between Hawaiian and Japanese populations. While this might not have a great
impact from an evolutionary perspective, even a small amount of genetic differentiation can be
important for species conservation and population management (Benestan et al. 2015). This is
especially true for populations that are demographically independent and for populations that are
likely to be affected differently by climate change, as are Hawaiian and Japanese albatrosses. For
this reason, Dierickx et al. (2015) recommended that the populations be considered separate
management units. This example highlights the benefit of using a genome-wide approach to
address population genetics and management questions.
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Purpose
In the present study I used various genetic markers and methods (mtDNA, microsatellites,
introns, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from reduced-representation sequencing) to
assess population genetic variation in pigeon guillemots and black guillemots. In Chapter 2, my
objective was to investigate (1) the extent to which pigeon guillemots exhibit population
differentiation at neutral markers, and (2) whether differentiation is a result of historical isolation
or contemporary processes. I predicted that regional populations would differ at neutral molecular
markers. I also predicted that genetic differentiation in pigeon guillemots could have arisen
historically, through isolation in glacial refugia during the Pleistocene similar to results from
Kidd and Friesen (1998). Alternatively, they could have become differentiated in situ through
genetic drift and / or selection due to restricted gene flow and therefore follow a pattern of
isolation by distance. In Chapter 3, I conducted a genome-wide survey of SNPs identified by
ddRADseq with the objective of determining the extent to which black guillemot colonies differ
at neutral and putatively adaptive markers. I predicted that regional populations of black
guillemots are genetically distinct and that this differentiation might follow a pattern of isolation
by distance.
Importance
Guillemots provide a useful system for testing population differentiation in a species with
a wide range that disperses according to a one-dimensional stepping stone model. Previous
studies on systems that disperse according to a stepping stone model have largely been on
organisms with limited mobility or a lack of suitable habitat due to fragmentation. Seabirds in
general are strong fliers and as such are unlikely to encounter many physical barriers to dispersal
however, as outlined previously, factors other than physical barriers could lead to population
genetic differentiation in guillemots. Using genetics to understand gene flow in this system will
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allow us to understand better how different patterns of gene flow affect population genetic
structure. From an applied perspective, the results from this study will be useful for management
and conservation of guillemots in the future. We currently have a poor understanding of
population genetic structure of Cepphus. The same characteristics that make them likely to have
pronounced population structure also makes them more vulnerable to disturbances such as oil
spills. Identifying population genetic structure in guillemots will give us baseline measurements
of genetic differentiation and potentially allow us to gauge whether guillemots are well suited to
adapt as they continue to face environmental changes due to climate change.
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Chapter 2
Both historical and contemporary processes lead to population genetic differentiation in
pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba)
Abstract
Understanding the forces that shape population genetic structure is fundamental to the study of
evolution. Pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) are Pacific seabirds with few obvious barriers
to gene flow. As seabirds, they are strong fliers and have the ability to disperse long distances.
They experience many potential non-geographic barriers to gene flow however, which could
result in strong population genetic structure. Variation in the mitochondrial control region, four
microsatellite loci, and two introns were analysed for 202 pigeon guillemots representing three of
five subspecies. The mitochondrial sequences showed strong population structure. Nuclear loci
also exhibited significant population structure, however structure was weaker than for the
mitochondrial control region. Marked differences were found between the Aleutian Island
populations and mainland populations and strong evidence was found for differentiation in
pigeon guillemots arising as a result of both historical isolation and contemporary processes.
Genetic variation did not support current subspecies designations.
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Introduction
Because most birds have strong dispersal abilities, gene flow in most avian species is potentially
high and population genetic structure potentially weak. However, recent studies based on
molecular markers indicate that population genetic structure in birds is varied. In some species
population genetic structure is weak or absent (e.g. mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, Kraus et al.
2012; cerulean warbler, Setophaga cerulea, Deane et al. 2013; little auk, Alle alle, Wojczulanis-
Jakubas et al. 2014; regent honeyeater, Anthochaera phrygia, Kvistad et al. 2015, crowned
solitary eagle, Buteogallus coronatus, Canal et al. 2017). In others, population genetic structure is
strong suggesting that gene flow is restricted (e.g. Cory’s shearwater, Calonectris borealis,
Gomez-Diaz et al. 2009; whiskered auklets, Aethia pygmaea, Pshenichnikova et al. 2015; red-
billed chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, Morinha et al. 2017; Grauer's swamp warbler,
Bradypterus graueri, Kahindo et al. 2017). Gene flow may be restricted for many reasons.
Friesen et al. (2007; 2015) reviewed studies of seabirds to test the importance of various factors
in generating population genetic structure. The role of geographic barriers in reducing gene flow
is well supported. However, many species show evidence of population genetic structure in the
absence of geographic barriers to dispersal. In these species the extent of population genetic
structure is best explained by nonbreeding distribution. Seabirds that are resident at colonies
year-round or that migrate to population-specific nonbreeding areas may have less opportunity
for gene flow than those with a single, species-specific migratory destination or that simply
disperse during the nonbreeding season. Foraging range during the breeding season has a weak
influence on population genetic structure. Species that forage inshore (within <8 km of land)
would have less opportunity for gene flow among colonies, and accordingly inshore foraging is
associated with population genetic structure. The geographic distribution of colonies can also
affect gene flow: species that nest in small colonies scattered along coastlines likely follow a one-
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dimensional stepping stone model of dispersal where individuals disperse primarily to
neighbouring colonies rather than at random (Kimura and Weiss 1964). In the one-dimensional
stepping stone model, gene flow is less effective at countering genetic drift. Philopatry alone
may also reduce gene flow, but it usually acts in combination with other barriers to gene flow
(Friesen et al. 2007; Friesen 2015).
Guillemots (Cepphus spp.; Charadriiformes: Alcidae) provide a potentially interesting
system for investigating population genetic structure in seabirds. Guillemots will not fly over
land or ice, so large expanses of land or ice can act as geographic barriers to dispersal (Udvardy
1963). They generally breed in small colonies on islands and headlands (Gaston and Jones 1998)
and forage on small demersal fish in shallow coastal waters closely surrounding colonies (Golet
et al. 2000). Pigeon guillemots (C. columba) breed along the northern coastlands of the Pacific
Ocean (Figure 2.1), and have an estimated population size of less than 69,000 breeding birds
(Kushlan et al. 2002). They winter in pack ice relatively close to their breeding colonies, with the
northern limit of their distribution defined by the availability of open water, similar to their close
relative the black guillemot (C. grylle, Ainley et al. 1990; Divoky et al. 2016). Previously
guillemots were believed to have strong natal philopatry (Gaston and Jones 1998), but a recent
review suggests that past estimates of philopatry in seabirds may be exaggerated (Coulson 2016).
This is corroborated by a banding study that found that natal dispersal in black guillemots may be
relatively high (Frederiksen and Petersen 2000). Pigeon guillemots are morphologically variable
throughout their range and five subspecies have been designated based on clines in wing length,
tarsus length, culmen length, and quantity of white on the wing (Storer 1952; Figure 2.1).
According to Storer (1952) wing length, tarsus length, and culmen length decrease from south to
north, while the quantity of white on the wing increases.
Previously, Kidd and Friesen (1998) compared variation in the conserved central domain
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of the mitochondrial control region among populations of all three species of guillemots.
Assuming a substitution rate of 2% per million years, they estimated the date of divergence of the
mitochondrial lineages of populations of pigeon guillemots to be 0.1 and 0.07 million years ago
(MYA). This places the divergence time during the Pleistocene glaciations. They suggested that
genetic differences may exist among local populations of pigeon guillemots, but their sampling
was too limited for rigorous analyses of population genetic structure. Furthermore, their study did
not include any nuclear genes. Nuclear data can sometimes be incongruous with mitochondrial
data, making it important to assess both (e.g. Walsh and Edwards 2005; Eda et al. 2008; Ando et
al. 2014).
In the present study, I analysed variation in the more variable sections of the
mitochondrial control region and six nuclear genes among pigeon guillemots sampled throughout
the north-eastern Pacific. My objectives were to investigate (1) the extent to which pigeon
guillemots exhibit population differentiation at neutral markers, and (2) whether differentiation
has arisen as a result of historical isolation or contemporary processes. Given that pigeon
guillemots breed in small colonies scattered along coastlines, forage and overwinter near
breeding colonies, and have extensive geographic variation in morphology, I predicted that
regional populations would differ at neutral molecular markers according to a pattern of isolation
by distance. I also predicted that genetic differentiation in pigeon guillemots could have arisen
historically, through isolation in glacial refugia during the Pleistocene similar to results from
Kidd and Friesen (1998). Alternatively, they could have become differentiated in situ through
genetic drift and / or selection due to restricted gene flow.
Methods
Sampling and DNA screening
12
Solid tissue, blood or feather samples were collected from 202 pigeon guillemots from 11 sites
throughout the breeding range (Table 2.1, Figure 2.1). Most Alaskan samples consisted of solid
tissue (heart, liver and / or striated muscle) from adults in breeding condition collected for dietary
analyses in close proximity to colonies during the breeding season. Samples from elsewhere
generally consisted of blood from adults or chicks caught at nests. Samples were archived at
Queen's University, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Burke Museum, the American Museum of
Natural History and/or the University of Alaska Museum at Fairbanks. DNA was extracted using
a standard protease K phenol/chloroform technique followed by isopropanol precipitation
(Friesen et al. 1997).
Mitochondrial control region
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify and sequence two overlapping
fragments of the mitochondrial control region with guillemot-specific primers (CGL56 and
CGH549, and CGL486 and CGH1006) following protocols detailed in Kidd and Friesen (1998).
Sequences were obtained for 723 bp (base pairs) of the control region, excluding 141 bp 5' to
primer CgL56 and a 92 bp region of ambiguity between primers CgL486 and CgH589, and
including parts of Domain I, II, and III. Sequences were aligned using the program BioEdit (Hall
1999), and haplotypes were identified using the program TCS v 1.13 (Clement et al. 2000).
Microsatellites
A genomic library was developed and screened for dinucleotide (CA) repeats following
previously published protocols (Ibarguchi et al. 2000). PCR primers were developed for two loci
(Supplementary Table 2.1). A panel of six samples was tested for amplification using these
primers as well as primers developed previously for marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus
marmoratus; Friesen et al. 2005), thick-billed and common murres (Uria lomvia and Uria aalge,
respectively; Ibarguchi et al. 2000) and yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia; Dawson et al.
13
1997). MgCl2 concentrations and annealing temperatures were optimized, and the presence of
length variation was determined in four loci (Supplementary Table 2.1) by electrophoresis
through polyacrylamide gels (Ibarguchi et al. 2000). Microsatellites were genotyped using the
GenomeLab GeXP Genetic Analysis System (Beckman Coulter Inc., USA) and scored using the
associated software v 10.2.3.
Introns
Amplifications were attempted on four to six samples with 30 pairs of PCR primers previously
designed to amplify nuclear introns from vertebrates (Friesen et al. 1997; Friesen 1999; Friesen
unpubl.) using previously published protocols with the addition of 62.5 µg/mL BSA and 0.01
mg/mL gelatin. Various annealing temperatures and concentrations of MgCl2 and DMSO were
tested to optimize amplifications. Loci for which clean amplification products could be derived
consistently were then chosen for population screening using a combination of single-stranded
conformational polymorphisms and direct sequencing (Friesen et al. 1997). Individuals from the
Alaska Peninsula were sequenced directly (Genome Quebec, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec). Sequences were aligned using Geneious (Kearse et al. 2012), and variable sites were
confirmed from chromatograms. Two loci generated repeatable results (Supplementary Table
2.1).
Data Analyses
Tests of neutrality and variability
The program ARLEQUIN v 3.5 (Excoffier and Lischer 2010) was used to test control region
sequences for departures from neutral expectations using Ewens-Watterson and Chakraborty tests
(Ewens 1972; Watterson 1978; Chakraborty 1990), and to test nuclear markers for deviations
from Hardy-Weinberg proportions and linkage equilibrium. The program MICROCHECKER
(van Oosterhout et al. 2004) was used to check microsatellites for null alleles. Haplotype
14
frequencies, haplotype diversity (h, Nei 1987) and nucleotide diversity (π, Tajima 1983) were
calculated for the control region sequences, and regional allele frequencies were calculated for
nuclear loci.
Population differentiation
Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to calculate the proportion of genetic
variation distributed among populations (ΦST for control region sequences, FST for nuclear genes)
in ARLEQUIN. ΦST and FST were calculated for both the entire sample and for pairwise
comparisons of populations. Statistical significance was tested by randomization using 10,000
permutations of the data with a rejection level (α) of 0.05. Kimura’s two-parameter model of
sequence evolution (Kimura 1980) with a gamma value of 0.45 was used for the control region
sequences. Potential Type I statistical errors were addressed by applying Benjamini-Yekutieli (B-
Y) corrections to pairwise comparisons (Benjamini and Yekutieli 2001; Narum 2006).
Mantel tests (Mantel 1967) were used to determine whether genetic differentiation
increases with geographic distance between populations. Pairwise estimates of Slatkin’s
linearized ΦST or FST were tested for correlation with log-transformed geographic distance
between populations using ARLEQUIN, with 10,000 permutations of the data. The shortest
geographic distance between regions was calculated using an online distance calculator (Michels
1997). Additionally, because pigeon guillemots are unlikely to fly over large expanses of open
water, distances along shorelines were estimated using Google Maps (1:500 km; Google Maps
2017) and log transformed. When more than one sampling site was included in a region (e.g. for
comparisons involving the Aleutian Islands), the geographic midpoint of all sites was used.
The program STRUCTURE v 2.3.4 (Pritchard et al. 2000; Pritchard et al. 2010) was used
to infer population structure among populations using the nuclear data. The program was run
under the admixture model with correlated allele frequencies, without sampling location as prior
15
information, a burn-in of 10000 iterations and 100000 iterations after the burn-in. Each value of
K (number of populations) from 1 to 5 was run 10 times and delta K (ΔK, the most probable
number of genetic populations) was calculated using STRUCTURE HARVESTER (Evanno et al.
2005; Earl and vonHoldt 2012). Posterior probabilities were calculated using the equation
provided in the STRUCTURE manual (Pritchard 2010). Membership probabilities were averaged
among runs using CLUMPP v 1.1.2. (Jakobsson and Rosenberg 2007) and results were displayed
using DISTRUCT v.1.1 (Rosenberg 2004). A principal component analysis (PCA) was
performed on the nuclear data in R v 3.3.1 (R Core Team 2017) using the packages adegenet
(Jombart 2008) and ade4 (Dray and Dufour 2007). Missing data were replaced with global mean
allele frequencies.
Phylogenetic relationships
A statistical parsimony network was derived for control region sequences using PopART
(Clement et al. 2002; http://popart.otago.ac.nz). Sites with undefined states were masked. The
program BEAST v 1.8.4 was used to construct a phylogenetic tree for the mitochondrial control
region data (Drummond et al. 2012). Individuals were grouped by region (Table 2.1) and five
sequences from C. grylle and one sequence from C. carbo were used as outgroups. The
Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano substitution model with a gamma distribution (HKY+G) was used
(Hasegawa et al. 1985), which was selected as the best model using the Bayesian information
criterion (BIC) in jModelTest2 (Darriba et al. 2012). A strict molecular clock with a mutation
rate of 7.4% (Wenink et al. 1996) and the coalescent tree prior that assumes a constant population
size with Jeffrey’s prior (Jeffreys 1946; Kingman 1982; Drummond et al. 2005) were selected.
The BEAST analysis was run for 107 MCMC (Markov chain Monte Carlo) runs with a burn-in of
106 runs. TRACER v1.6 (Rambaut et al. 2014) was used to analyse the trace files generated by
BEAST and to assess convergence. The analysis was run three times and output files were
16
combined using LogCombiner v 1.8.4, with a burn-in of 10% of trees for each original file. A
consensus tree was generated in TreeAnnotator v 1.8.4 (Drummond et al. 2012) and the tree was
displayed graphically using FigTree v 1.4.3 (Rambaut 2007).
Population history
Three scenarios for population history were compared using coalescent-based approximate
Bayesian computation analyses (ABC) in DIYABC (Cornuet et al. 2008). This approach makes
it possible to model different population scenarios and generate simulated datasets to fit each
scenario. These simulated datasets are then compared to determine which scenario best fits the
observed dataset. Mitochondrial control region samples were grouped into three population
groups based on results from population genetics analyses: North (Andreanof Is. and Fox Is.),
Alaska (Shumigan Is., Eastern Alaska Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, and
Southeast Alaska), and South (Vancouver Is., Central Oregon, and Central California). Scenario
1 (Supplementary Figure 2.1) simulated the existence of two glacial refugia during the last
glaciation, with divergence between North and South populations occurring pre-glaciation and no
gene flow post-glaciation. Scenario 2 simulated isolation of pigeon guillemots in a single glacial
refugium, followed by expansion and colonization of their current range post-glaciation.
Scenario 3 tested that pigeon guillemots were historically isolated in two refugia with secondary
contact occurring post-glaciation. In all scenarios the prior distribution for all historical
parameters was set to uniform. Due to the absence of available data for population size, broad
priors were used for Ne (10 – 100 000). Mean generation time of pigeon guillemots was
estimated to be 8.8 years (Southern et al. 1965, Hudson 1985; Moum and Árnason 2001). Time
of divergence of the ancestral population (t2 and tc) were set to 1250 – 100 000 generations ago
(0.011 – 0.88 MYA), before the last glacial period (Wisconsin glaciation). Admixture events and
more recent divergences (t1, ta, and tb) were set to 0 – 1250 generations ago (present day – 0.011
17
MYA), after the Wisconsin glaciation. Rate of admixture (ra) was left as the default (0.001 –
0.999). The Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano substitution model with a gamma distribution (HKY+G)
was selected, as determined by JModelTest2 (Hasegawa et al. 1985, Darriba et al. 2012). Mean
mutation rate was set to 6.5X10-7 per site / per generation based on pairwise divergence rates of
the avian mitochondrial control region suggested by Wenink et al. (1996). Eight single-sample
summary statistics were used for each population (number of distinct haplotypes, number of
segregating sites, mean pairwise difference, variance of the number of pairwise differences,
Tajima’s D statistics (Tajima 1989), number of private segregating sites, mean of the numbers of
the rarest nucleotide at segregating sites, variance of the numbers of the rarest nucleotide at
segregating sites) and five two-sample summary statistics were used (number of distinct
haplotypes in the pooled sample, number of segregating sites in the pooled sample, mean of
within sample pairwise differences, mean of between sample pairwise differences, FST between
two samples (Hudson et al. 1992)). I ran 3 million simulations and compared the scenarios by
estimating posterior probabilities using logistic regression (Cornuet et al. 2010, Inoue et al. 2014,
Perktas et al. 2015, Pérez-Alvarez et al. 2016). Type I and Type II error rates were estimated
using the method described in Cornuet et al. 2010 and Inoue et al. 2014.
Results
Tests of neutrality and variability
Mitochondrial control region sequences were similar to those published previously for guillemots
(Kidd and Friesen 1998), and contained the conserved sequence blocks typical of other species of
birds (F, D, and C Boxes and CSB-1; Marshall and Baker 1997). Eighty-five control region
haplotypes defined by seventy-eight variable sites were identified (Supplementary Table 2.2;
Supplementary Table 2.3; Figure 2.2). Fifty-nine variable sites occurred in Domain I, seventeen
18
occurred in Domain II, and two occurred in Domain III. Ewens-Watterson and Chakraborty tests
did not reveal any deviations from neutrality except at Mandarte Island. In the Chakraborty test,
Mandarte Island had significantly more haplotypes than expected (14 observed vs. 8.6 expected,
P = 0.02; Table 2.2), however it did not show a significant deviation from neutrality using the
Ewens-Watterson test.
All nuclear loci were variable, although only three alleles were detected for Dpu16
(Supplementary Table 2.4). Of these three alleles two were rare, meaning that Dpu16 was
monomorphic for the same allele in most populations. No null alleles were indicated by
MICROCHECKER for microsatellite data. None of the nuclear loci showed significant
deviations from Hardy-Weinberg proportions in any of the populations, with the exception of
ribosomal protein 40 intron V in Mandarte Island (Table 2.3). Cco5-9 did show a significant
departure from Hardy-Weinberg proportions at the species level due to an excess of homozygotes
(Table 2.3). Six of the eleven populations showed evidence of linkage disequilibrium at different
loci (Supplementary Table 2.5). Analyses were rerun excluding each of these loci and results
remained consistent, so results from analyses with all loci were included in the following
sections.
Six alleles, defined by variation at four (cytochrome c intron I) and 15 sites (ribosomal
protein 40 intron V), were found within each of the two introns (Supplementary Table 2.4;
Supplementary Figure 2.2; Supplementary Table 2.6). Alleles differed by one to twelve
substitutions. Numbers of alleles at microsatellite loci ranged from three to 11 (Supplementary
Table 2.4). For all seven nuclear loci, several alleles were present at high frequency at most sites,
and the remaining alleles occurred in only one or two individuals each (Supplementary Table
2.4).
19
Population differentiation
Of the 85 control region haplotypes, 67 were private (found in only one region). With four
exceptions, shared haplotypes were always found in geographically adjacent regions
(Supplementary Table 2.3). Several haplotypes occurred within individual populations at high
frequencies (AA01, 25%; AD01, 22%; AF01, 19%; AG01, 19%; AL01, 41%). Results from
AMOVA indicated strong geographic structure in sequence variation (global Φst = 0.37, p <
0.001). Pairwise estimates of Φst were statistically significant for all comparisons except
Shumigan Island versus Semidi Island, Semidi Island versus Cook Inlet and Prince William
Sound, and Cleland Island versus Mandarte Island (Table 2.4).
Estimates of global population genetic structure were weak but statistically significant
both for introns (Fst = 0.05, p < 0.001; Supplementary Table 2.7) and for all loci combined (Fst =
0.09, p < 0.001; Table 2.4). Estimates for microsatellites were slightly higher, and also significant
(Fst = 0.11, p < 0.001; Supplementary Table 2.7). Estimates of FST were significant for the
majority of pairwise population comparisons for microsatellites, and some pairwise comparisons
for introns (Supplementary Table 2.7).
Mantel tests for correlations between genetic differentiation and geographic distance were
significant for all molecular markers (mitochondrial control region, r = 0.56, p < 0.05; all nuclear
loci, r = 0.59, p < 0.05; Figure 2.3). Mantel tests were also performed after removing populations
from the Aleutian Islands (Andreanof Island and Fox Island), as these populations appeared
genetically similar to each other but quite differentiated from other populations (Table 2.4; see
below). The tests remained significant, however the relationship between genetic differentiation
and geographic distance became slightly weaker (mitochondrial control region, r = 0.52, p <
0.05; all nuclear loci, r = 0.52, p < 0.05).
20
Results from STRUCTURE and STRUCTURE HARVESTER (ΔK and posterior
probabilities) indicated that pigeon guillemots comprise two genetic groups (K=2; Figure 2.4).
Assignment probabilities showed that genetic groups were not completely geographically
segregated, but appeared to follow an isolation by distance pattern consistent with the Mantel test
results. Results from the PCA also showed weak differentiation among populations with the first
three principal components explaining 17.5% of the variance (Figure 2.5A). When populations
were grouped by subspecies in the PCA, C. kaiurka and C. eureka were separated from each
other, whereas C. adianta overlapped with both other subspecies, with the first three principal
components explaining 17.5% of the variance (Figure 2.5B). Populations were also grouped as
Aleutian Islands versus others to test whether nuclear loci displayed as marked a difference
between these groups as did the mitochondrial control region (Figure 2.5C). The PCA separated
the two groups, but the relationship was weak (Table 2.4) with the first three principal
components explaining 17.5% of the variance.
Phylogenetic relationships
The phylogeny produced by BEAST showed mtDNA sequences of most birds from the
Andreanof and Fox Islands (Aleutian Islands) as a monophyletic group, divergent from other
pigeon guillemot populations (Figure 2.6). There were two exceptions: one individual from
Shumigan Island was in the monophyletic clade, and one individual from Fox Island was mixed
with the other populations. Support for the split between the Aleutian Islands and other pigeon
guillemots was strong, with a posterior probability of 1. Relationships between other populations
were not as clear, and posterior probabilities were low for the more recent divergences.
Divergence dates between mtDNA sequences of the black guillemot outgroup and pacific birds
was estimated to be between 0.63 – 1.2 MYA (with a posterior probability of 1). The divergence
between the spectacled guillemots and pigeon guillemots was estimated to have occurred
21
between 0.43 – 0.87 MYA (with a posterior probability of 1). My dates were in agreement with
those estimated by Kidd and Friesen (1998). The split between the Aleutian Islands and other
pigeon guillemot populations was estimated to have occurred between 0.16 - 0.32 MYA.
Population history
Results from analysis with the mitochondrial control region in DIYABC identified Scenario 1 as
the most highly supported, with strong posterior probability (0.8282; Supplementary Table 2.8).
The other two scenarios had much lower support. The Type I and Type II error rate estimates for
all 3 scenarios were low (Supplementary Table 2.8).
Discussion
Population Genetic Structure
My first objective was to investigate the extent to which regional populations of pigeon
guillemots exhibit population differentiation at neutral markers. Mitochondrial control region
sequence variation was strongly structured geographically. The majority of haplotypes were
private (Supplementary Table 2.2; Supplementary Table 2.3) and all estimates of Φst (global and
pairwise) were statistically significant, with the exception of a few populations that are within
200 - 650 km of each other. Marked population structuring was also found in nuclear DNA,
although it was weaker than for mtDNA. The estimate of global FST was statistically significant
and the majority of pairwise FST estimates were statistically significant for microsatellite loci
(Table 2.4; Supplementary Table 2.7). Pairwise FST estimates from introns were similar to those
from microsatellite loci, although fewer were significant (Supplementary Table 2.7). The strong
population genetic structure in pigeon guillemots is similar to a few species such as Kittlitz’s
murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris, Birt et al. 2011) but contrasts with weak or absent genetic
22
variation in most other high-latitude seabird species (e.g. razorbill, Alca torda, Moum and
Árnason 2001; reviewed in Friesen 2015).
My results clearly indicate a major genetic disjunction between Aleutian Islands and
mainland populations. Pairwise ΦST estimates showed that guillemots from the Andreanof and
Fox islands (which are both part of the Aleutian islands) were very similar to one another but
highly differentiated from the other populations (Table 2.4). The Aleutian Islands did not share
haplotypes with any other populations (with the exception of two) and their haplotypes were
highly differentiated from others within the species (Figure 2.2, Supplementary Table 2.3).
Although Aleutian island populations did not segregate as strongly at the nuclear level, they were
still significantly differentiated from more southern populations (Table 2.4; Figure 2.4; Figure
2.5C). The BEAST tree agreed with the mitochondrial and nuclear population genetic results:
Andreanof Island and Fox Island mtDNA sequences were divergent from continental
populations. Genetic studies of other bird species in the Aleutian Islands have also found marked
differences from populations elsewhere (e.g., Canada goose, Pierson et al. 2000; rock ptarmigan,
Lagopus mutus, Holder et al. 2000; marbled murrelet, Congdon et al. 2000; Kittlitz’s murrelet,
Birt et al. 2011).
Evolutionary History
Given that I found significant genetic differentiation between regional populations of pigeon
guillemots, my second objective was to investigate whether differentiation had arisen as a result
of historical isolation or in situ following recession of the glaciers through genetic drift and / or
selection due to restricted gene flow.
Evidence for historical isolation
MtDNA haplotypes from Aleutian Island guillemots were highly divergent from continental
North American haplotypes (except for one shared haplotype) (Figure 2.2; Supplementary Table
23
2.3). The distinctiveness of these haplotypes suggests that guillemots from the Aleutian Islands
were historically isolated from other populations. Estimates of Φst and Fst were also greatest
between Aleutian Island and continental samples (Table 2.4), suggesting that they diverged a
long time ago and have experienced limited / restricted gene flow in more recent years. The
Aleutian Islands also represented a monophyletic split within the population tree (Figure 2.6).
Assuming a strict molecular clock and a mutation rate of 7.4% for guillemot control regions
(Wenink et al. 1996), the split between the mtDNA lineages of the Aleutian Islands and other
populations was estimated to have occurred 0.16 – 0.36 MYA, i.e. prior to recession of the
Wisconsin glaciation. Results from DIYABC using mtDNA also suggested that the most likely
scenario was a historical split between the Aleutian Island and continental populations prior to
the Wisconsin glaciation, with continental populations diverging from each other post-glaciation.
This evidence suggests that a cryptic barrier to gene flow occurs within the Aleutian Islands
(Friesen et al. 2007). Other high arctic species that exhibit population genetic structure between
the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula often occur in areas that are putative Pleistocene
refugia (Dyke and Prest 1987). These divergent populations are often associated with evidence
of historical fragmentation, suggesting long-term isolation.
Thus, differentiation of Aleutian Island versus continental North American pigeon
guillemots may be explained at least in part by historical fragmentation, probably by extensive
Pleistocene ice fields that would have separated tracts of rocky coastline from each other. These
findings agree with Udvardy’s (1963) hypothesis that geographic variation in pigeon guillemots
is due to isolation in multiple glacial refugia.
Evidence for contemporary differentiation
Pairwise estimates of ΦST and FST were strongly correlated with geographic distance between
populations, suggesting that populations of pigeon guillemots might experience isolation by
24
distance (Figure 2.3). Mitochondrial haplotypes were mostly private and shared haplotypes were
only found between adjacent populations (Supplementary Table 2.3). Results from STRUCTURE
and PCA also suggest increasing genetic differences with geographic distance (Figure 2.4; Figure
2.5). A pattern of isolation by distance exists when dispersal of individuals is constrained by
distance, so that gene flow occurs primarily between neighbouring populations (Hutchison and
Templeton 1999). As a result, populations that are closer geographically tend to be more
genetically similar. Thus, if pigeon guillemots are experiencing isolation by distance, this
differentiation would have occurred post-glaciation – either due to secondary contact between
two populations isolated in separate refugia, or due to recolonization after isolation in a single
refugium. This does not discount the possibility of historical isolation, but does provide strong
evidence for contemporary differentiation.
The combination of results from all analyses provides strong evidence for differentiation
in pigeon guillemots arising from both historical isolation and contemporary processes.
Population structure resulting from both contemporary and historical processes has been reported
across several species (e.g. marbled murrelets, Congdon et al. 2000; Eurasian badger, Meles
meles, Pope et al. 2006; wolverine, Gulo gulo, Zigouris et al. 2013; spectacle case pearly mussel,
Cumberlandia monodonta, Inoue et al. 2014; Chilean dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia, Pérez-
Alvarez et al. 2016).
Subspecies
According to Storer (1952), subspecies of pigeon guillemots show marked morphological
differences that vary along a latitudinal cline. While pigeon guillemots did exhibit strong genetic
structure and genetic variation appears to follow a cline similar to morphological differentiation,
differences at neutral molecular markers did not agree with current subspecies delineations.
Although samples of C. c. kaiurka appeared highly differentiated from other populations and
25
subspecies based on the mitochondrial data, they were similar to guillemots from Fox Island,
which belong to C. c. adianta (Figure 2.2). C. c. eureka did not seem to differ greatly from C. c.
adianta, although the two diverged recently suggesting they might be exhibiting incomplete
lineage sorting (Table 2.4, Figure 2.6). Nuclear variation did not differ between samples of C. c.
kaiurka and most other Alaskan samples (Figure 2.5B). The topic of avian subspecies is highly
controversial and there is currently no standard way to designate subspecies, although an
integrative approach is often recommended (Torstrom et al. 2014; Patten 2015). My results
highlight a discordance between morphological and genetic groupings, and I recommend that
pigeon guillemot subspecies be reviewed. I also suggest that pigeon guillemot populations in the
Aleutian Islands be considered for designation as an evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) as their
differentiation has been strongly influenced by historical processes.
Future Directions
While using both mitochondrial and nuclear loci gives strong insight into the population structure
of pigeon guillemots, using only a handful of loci does give limited resolution of genetic
structure. Reduced-representation and genome-wide techniques that produce thousands of
markers would not only allow us to examine population structure at a higher resolution, but
would also give us the opportunity to explore adaptive differences and the extent of introgression
at sites of secondary contact in pigeon guillemots. My study included three of the five current
subspecies. Including samples from Cepphus columba columba and Cepphus columba snowi
would give us a broader understanding of the population genetics of pigeon guillemots. Other
sampling gaps exist in the Gulf of Alaska and southern California. Increasing sample sizes for
populations with fewer individuals would also make analyses more robust.
26
Table 2.1. Subspecies, sampling regions, abbreviations, sites, and numbers (n) for pigeon
guillemots.
Subspecies Region Abbrev-
iation Site n
kaiurka Andreanof Is. Andr Tanaklak I. 4 Great Sitkin I. 2 Adak I. 4 adianta Fox Is. Fox Anangula I. 1 Unalaska I. 2 Aiktak I. 5 Shumigan Is. Shum Belkofski Bay 3 Yukon Hr. 4 Eastern Alaska
Peninsula Semi Semidi Is. 4
Flat I. 3 Cook Inlet Cook Shuyak I. 2 Kachemak Bay 32 Prince William Sound PWS Jackpot I. 12 Naked I. 18 Southeast Alaska SEAK Midway I. 6 Couverden I. 3 Vancouver I. Clel Cleland I. 7 Mand Mandarte I. 29 eureka Central Oregon cOre Coos Bay 24 Central California cCal Point Reyes National Park 1 Southeast Farallon I. 34 Ano Nuevo I. 2
Total 202
27
Table 2.2. Number of haplotypes, haplotype diversity (h), nucleotide diversity (π) as a percent,
observed and expected F values for Ewens-Watterson test of neutrality (none significant) and
probabilities of neutrality for Chakraborty’s tests.
Sampling site Number of
haplotypes
h π Ewens-
Watterson
Chakraborty
Andr 10 0.98±0.05 0.73±0.44 0.12/0.12 0.76
Fox 6 0.89±0.11 1.25±0.73 0.22/0.20 0.56
Shum 7 1.00±0.08 1.19±0.72 NA NA
Semi 7 1.00±0.08 0.79±0.49 NA NA
Cook 21 0.96±0.02 1.04±0.55 0.07/0.07 0.65
PWS 16 0.95±0.02 0.68±0.38 0.08/0.10 0.87
SEAK 8 0.97±0.06 0.47±0.30 0.14/0.14 0.77
Clel 3 0.76±0.11 0.29±0.21 0.35/0.45 0.86
Mand 14 0.83±0.07 0.51±0.29 0.20/0.12 0.02
cOre 10 0.90±0.04 0.58±0.33 0.14/0.17 0.78
cCal 12 0.88±0.03 0.47±0.27 0.14/0.16 0.66
28
Table 2.3. Observed/expected heterozygosity estimates for pigeon guillemot nuclear loci. Region
abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Sampling Site Dpu16 Uaa5-8 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 Cytochrome
c Intron I
Ribosomal Protein 40 Intron V
Andr NA 0.89/0.75 0.67/0.68 0.86/0.86 0.89/0.74 0.44/0.63 Fox NA 0.43/0.49 1.00/0.85 0.85/0.97 0.86/0.63 0.29/0.26
Shum NA 0.57/0.65 0.86/0.85 0.86/0.78 0.71/0.54 0.14/0.14 Semi 0.2/0.19 0.40/0.57 0.9/0.82 0.80/0.79 0.40/0.57 0.40/0.35 Cook 0.03/0.03 0.64/0.59 0.85/0.85 0.79/0.78 0.67/0.62 0.30/0.40 PWS NA 0.59/0.59 0.86/0.84 0.79/0.80 0.59/0.58 0.38/0.31
SEAK NA 0.67/0.50 0.78/0.71 0.56/0.55 0.44/0.57 0.22/0.40 Clel 0.13/0.13 0.33/0.57 0.88/0.74 0.67/0.56 0.63/0.58 0.50/0.50
Mand NA 0.49/0.56 0.72/0.68 0.45/0.46 0.62/0.60 0.17/0.36* cOre 0.26/0.23 0.45/0.63 0.52/0.50 0.74/0.71 0.61/0.49 0.43/0.39 cCal 0.12/0.10 0.69/0.65 NA 0.66/0.61 0.21/0.25 0.17/0.23
*Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05 both before and after B-Y correction
29
Table 2.4. Estimates of ΦST / FST for pairwise comparisons of guillemot regional samples based on sequence variation in the
mitochondrial control region (below diagonal) and seven nuclear markers (above diagonal). Region abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Andr Fox Shum Semi Cook PWS SEAK Clel Mand cOre cCal
Andr 0.01 0.04 0.04 0.02 0.03* 0.11** 0.08* 0.14** 0.11** 0.26** Fox 0.11* 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.07** 0.07* 0.13** 0.10** 0.26**
Shum 0.48** 0.39** 0.00 0.03* 0.01 0.11** 0.08* 0.08** 0.08** 0.21** Semi 0.57** 0.47** -0.01 0.01 -0.01 0.11** 0.01 0.05* 0.05** 0.16** Cook 0.50** 0.49** 0.14* 0.01 0.00 0.11** 0.04* 0.10** 0.09** 0.18** PWS 0.60** 0.55** 0.17** -0.01 0.04* 0.11** 0.05** 0.10** 0.09** 0.18**
SEAK 0.66** 0.58** 0.14** 0.13* 0.15** 0.21** 0.06* 0.12** 0.12** 0.26** Clel 0.67** 0.58** 0.12* 0.13* 0.13* 0.12* 0.27** 0.01 0.03* 0.18**
Mand 0.66** 0.62** 0.15** 0.11* 0.17** 0.15** 0.13** 0.00 0.07** 0.16** cOre 0.66** 0.61** 0.21** 0.24** 0.28** 0.29** 0.27** 0.19* 0.21** 0.02* cCal 0.73** 0.70** 0.38** 0.44** 0.42** 0.47** 0.46** 0.45** 0.45** 0.11**
*Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05 before B-Y correction **Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05 after B-Y correction
30
Figure Captions
Figure 2.1. Breeding distribution (heavy lines) of pigeon guillemots, and sampling sites (white
dots). Thin lines represent approximate ranges of subspecies. Sampling site codes from northwest
to southeast: Ad = Adak I., Tn = Tanaklak I., GS = Great Sitka Is., Aa = Anangula Is., Un =
Unalaska Is., Ai = Aiktak Is., Be = Belkofski Bay, Yu = Yukon Hr., Se = Semidi Is., Fl = Flat Is.,
Sh = Shuyak Is., Ka = Kachemak Bay, Ja = Jackpot Is., Nk = Naked Is., Cv = Couverden Is., Mi
= Midway Is., Cl = Cleland Is., Ma = Mandarte Is., Co = Coos Bay, PR = Point Reyes National
Park, SF = Southeast Farallon Is., AN = Ano Nuevo Is.
Figure 2.2. A statistical parsimony haplotype network derived for control region sequences of
pigeon guillemots using PopART. Sizes of circles are proportional to haplotype frequencies.
Black dots represent inferred intermediate haplotypes that were not found in the present
sampling. Haplotype names have been removed for clarity. Region abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Figure 2.3 Regression plot from Mantel test testing for correlation between genetic distance
(Slatkin’s linearized FST) and geographic distance (log-transformed shoreline distance). White
circles represent comparisons made using mitochondrial data and black circles represent
comparison made using nuclear data.
Figure 2.4. Probabilities of assignment of individuals to each of two genetic populations (K=2)
derived from the program STRUCTURE, based on genetic variation in nuclear loci of pigeon
guillemots. The program was run under the admixture models with correlated allele frequencies,
31
without sampling location as a prior, a burn-in of 10000 iterations and 100000 iterations after the
burn-in. Each value of K (number of populations) from 1 to 5 was run 10 times. Populations are
ordered as they appear geographically, from northwest to southeast (left to right). Region
abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Figure 2.5. Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in pigeon guillemots
grouped by A) population, B) subspecies, and C) membership to Aleutian Islands.
A) 1 = Andreanof Is., 2 = Fox Is., 3 = Shumigan Is., 4 = Eastern Alaska Peninsula, 5 = Cook
Inlet, 6 = Prince William Sound, 7 = South East Alaska, 8 = Cleland Is., 9 = Mandarte Is., 10 =
Central Oregon, 11 = Central California.
B) 1 = kaiurka (Andreanof Is.), 2 = adianta (Shumigan Is., Eastern Alaska Peninsula, Cook Inlet,
Prince William Sound, South East Alaska, Cleland Is., Mandarte Is.), 3 = eureka (Central
Oregon, Central California).
C) 1 = Andreanof Is. and Fox Is., 2 = Shumigan Is., Eastern Alaska Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Prince
William Sound, South East Alaska, Cleland Is., Mandarte Is., Central Oregon, Central California.
Figure 2.6. Phylogenic relationships among mitochondrial control region sequences of pigeon
guillemots from different regions, using BEAST. C. grylle and C. carbo are used as an outgroup.
Posterior probabilities are shown at major nodes. Nodes with low posterior probabilities are not
labelled.
32
Fig. 2.1
Nk Ja
Yu
Cv Mi
GS Tn Ad a d
i a n
t a
33
Fig. 2.2
34
Fig. 2.3
35
Fig. 2.4
36
Fig. 2.5A
1
10 11
2 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Eigenvalues
37
Fig. 2.5B
1
2
3
Eigenvalues
38
Fig. 2.5C
1 2
Eigenvalues
39
Fig. 2.6
0.99
0.99
40
Chapter 3
An assessment of population genomic structure in black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) in
North America
Abstract
Identifying genetically differentiated populations can be important for successful species
conservation. If local populations become genetically differentiated then the loss of a population
can result in partial loss of a species’ genetic diversity, which can affect a species’ ability to adapt
to stressors. Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) are seabirds that may be highly vulnerable to
climate change, but we have little knowledge of their population genetics and demographics. I
conducted a genome-wide survey of genetic variation using double-digest restriction-site
associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to determine the extent to which regional populations
of black guillemots differ at neutral and putatively adaptive markers. I tested the hypothesis that
regional populations of black guillemots are genetically distinct. Results from my study showed
that black guillemots exhibit clear population genetic structure, suggesting that gene flow among
black guillemot populations is restricted. These results confirm results of previous studies of
population genetic structure in black guillemots using mtDNA. Possible reasons for this marked
genetic structure include strong philopatry, physical barriers to gene flow, tendency to remain
close to breeding colonies year-round, and historical isolation in multiple refugia during the
Pleistocene. Outlier analyses detected two putatively adaptive loci. Genotypes at these loci were
sorted according to latitude. My research indicates that regional populations of black guillemots
should be managed as separate units.
41
Introduction
Identifying genetically differentiated populations has important implications for successful
species conservation. If local populations are genetically differentiated, then extirpation of a
population results in partial loss of a species’ genetic diversity. A species that is losing genetic
diversity is increasingly at risk of extinction, as it has decreasing standing genetic variation for
adaptation to new environmental pressures, such as climate change (Allendorf et al. 2013).
Population genetic techniques can allow us to determine the level of genetic diversity within a
population and assess the potential impact of natural and anthropogenic stress on the success of
the species, which can be used to gauge a population's vulnerability. To prioritize conservation
efforts, biologists can use information from population genetics studies to recommend that
populations be considered as evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) or management units (MUs).
An ESU is defined as a group of organisms that has been isolated from other conspecific groups
for long enough to have become genetically and ecologically distinctive (Paetkau 1999). An MU
is a group of organisms that have become demographically independent and exhibit low levels of
connectivity (Paetkau 1999). Classification as either an ESU or an MU determines how that
group should be managed. Population genetics have been used to successfully estimate
population genetic structure to aid conservation in arctic seabirds such as marbled murrelets
(Brachyramphus marmoratus; Friesen et al. 2005) and thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia; Tigano
et al. 2015).
Black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) are colonial seabirds that breed in the Arctic and North
Atlantic oceans and Europe. Arctic populations of black guillemots are considered pack ice
obligates, meaning that many aspects of their life history are dependent on the presence of pack
ice (Divoky 2011). Their close association with snow and ice habitats makes them potentially
vulnerable to climate change. Rising temperatures and decreasing sea ice cover are negatively
42
affecting the breeding success of black guillemots that breed in the arctic, specifically on Cooper
Island, AK. Increases in atmospheric temperature and decreases in sea ice have indirectly led to
decreased breeding success in black guillemots through the alteration of prey distribution and
abundance, and the introduction of new competitors and predators (Divoky 2011). Historically,
the majority of the guillemots’ diet consisted of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), which is the
primary prey fish in the ice-associated ecosystem (Bradstreet 1980, Cairns 1987, Divoky et al.
2015). In recent years, however, the diet composition of black guillemot nestlings on Cooper
Island, Alaska has shifted. Arctic cod, which used to account for 95% of the birds’ diet, now
comprises less than 5% of their diet. Near-shore demersal fish, sculpin (Cottidae) in particular,
now comprise the majority of their diet (Divoky et al. 2015). This shift away from Arctic cod has
been associated with a five-fold increase in the rate of nestling starvation, and reductions in
nestling growth and fledgling mass (Divoky et al. 2015). Melting sea ice has also created the
opportunity for subarctic species to move farther north where they may have a negative impact on
true arctic species. One example is recent colonization of black guillemot breeding grounds by
horned puffins (Fratercula corniculata). These subarctic seabirds have moved north in response
to the warming climate and now compete aggressively with black guillemots for nesting cavities.
Horned puffins now kill up to half of the black guillemot nestlings on Cooper Island, Alaska
(Divoky 2011). Predation on black guillemot nestlings and eggs from polar bears (Ursus
maritimus) that arrive on the island after the summer ice retreats has also had a negative impact
on black guillemot breeding success, resulting in an almost complete nestling failure in some
years (Divoky 2011). Black guillemots are currently listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ by the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), however they are clearly vulnerable
to climate change and may become more at risk as climate change continues to affect their
surrounding environment (BirdLife International 2016). Gaining a better understanding of
43
population genetic structure in black guillemots will allow us to make informed decisions about
management and conservation. If high arctic populations represent MUs or ESUs, they are
especially vulnerable and should be managed separately.
We might expect black guillemots to experience restrictions to gene flow for a number of
reasons. Black guillemots have a widespread breeding range (Friesen et al. 2007; 2015). As
black guillemots will not typically fly over land or ice, these can act as potential barriers to gene
flow (Udvardy 1963). Guillemots also nest in small, isolated colonies on coastal cliffs and islands
and forage inshore, close to their breeding sites. This limits their opportunity to encounter
individuals from other populations, thereby minimizing gene flow. Black guillemots are thought
to follow a one-dimensional stepping stone model of dispersal, where individuals disperse
primarily to neighbouring colonies rather than dispersing at random (Kidd and Friesen 1998).
Gene flow is less effective at counteracting genetic drift within the one-dimensional stepping
stone model. Black Guillemots have high seasonal connectivity meaning that they migrate to
nearby population specific non-breeding areas as opposed to dispersing at random during the
non-breeding season or migrating to a species-specific non-breeding area (Divoky et al 2016).
Again, this lowers the probability that guillemots will encounter individuals from other
populations and return to a different breeding site. Guillemots from different latitudes also inhabit
different climate regions. A number of climatic variables vary with latitude including temperature
(land and sea surface), photoperiod, sea ice extent, etc. (Global Observing Systems Information
Center; Diamond and Lief 2009). The two latitude groups occupy different climate regions:
higher latitude populations experience a tundra climate, whereas lower latitude populations
experience a warm summer continental climate (Natural Resources Canada 1957). As well, high
latitude habitats experience close pack ice or solid ice cover during the year, while low latitude
habitats are either completely ice free or experience only open pack ice (Natural Resources
44
Canada 1971). Finally, black guillemots are morphologically variable throughout their range and
six subspecies have been designated based on variation in wing length, tarsus length, and culmen
length (Storer 1952; Figure 3.1).
Some genetic evidence exists for restricted gene flow in black guillemots. Kidd and
Friesen (1998) conducted an analysis of variation in mtDNA (using the mitochondrial control
region) in guillemots from seven colonies in the Northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. They
found that all populations differed genetically, although genetic divergence was not correlated
with geographic distance. Evidence from breeding distributions, timing of divergence events,
phylogeography, gene flow and genetic variation within populations led Kidd and Friesen (1998)
to conclude that divergence of peripheral populations of black guillemots likely resulted from
Pleistocene glaciations. Pleistocene glaciers would have acted as substantial barriers to gene flow
between populations. The correlation between breeding distributions of guillemots and putative
glacial refugia also supports glacial vicariance. While several populations of black guillemots
apparently remained isolated since retreat of the glaciers (e.g. those from Maine and Finland),
contemporary gene flow appears to occur between populations in the Chukchi Sea, Iceland,
Norway and Nunavut (Kidd and Friesen 1998). This study had several limitations: Analysis of a
single mitochondrial locus gives limited resolution of genetic structure compared to studies that
employ hundreds to thousands of markers. As well, results from mtDNA are often incongruous
with data from nuclear DNA. Assessing both mtDNA and nuclear DNA is therefore important to
gain a more complete understanding of the population genetics within the system. Finally, only
three populations from North America were included in this study, meaning that we still have a
very limited understanding of the population genetics of black guillemots in North America.
Further studies including nuclear genes, more markers, and more populations will provide more
45
robust inferences regarding genetic differentiation and dispersal among populations in Canada
and the U.S.A.
I conducted a genome-wide survey of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified
by double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to determine the extent
to which black guillemot colonies differ at neutral and putatively adaptive markers (Peterson et
al. 2012). I tested the hypothesis that regional populations of black guillemots are genetically
distinct and that this differentiation might follow a pattern of isolation by distance. Alternatively,
black guillemots might exist as one large population that mixes genetically and demographically.
In this case, black guillemot populations will show low genetic differentiation between regional
populations at neutral markers and exhibit evidence of high levels of gene flow. I also used
outlier analyses to detect loci putatively under selection and to investigate whether adaptive
variation was associated with latitude. I predicted that higher latitude populations would differ
from low latitude populations at adaptive markers.
Methods
Sample Collection and DNA Extraction
Blood, feather, or solid tissue samples were collected from 55 breeding adults or chicks from 9
black guillemot colonies along the Canadian east and arctic coasts as well as Alaska (Table 3.1;
Figure 3.1). Samples are archived at -80° C in ethanol at Queen’s University, Kingston. DNA
was purified from the samples using a standard proteinase-K phenol/chloroform extraction and
ethanol precipitation (Sambrook et al. 1989). DNA concentrations were standardized to 20 ng/µl
using a Qubit 3.0 fluorometer and a Qubit dsDNA Broad Sensitivity Assay Kit (Invitrogen,
Carlsbad, California, USA).
46
Library Preparation and Quality Filtering
Purified DNA samples were sent to l’Institut de biologie integrative et des systèmes (IBIS) de
L’Université Laval, Quebec for ddRADseq library construction. The restriction enzymes SbfI and
MspI were used to cut the DNA into fragments. Fragments were then ligated to two adapters, one
of which is a DNA barcode unique to each individual and one that is a common adapter (Davey
and Blaxter 2010). Fragments were size-selected using a BluePippin bioanalyzer (Sage Science,
U.S.A) and the resulting RADseq library was sequenced on a HiSeq 2000, using single read 100
bp sequencing at the Genome Quebec Innovation Center (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec).
Upon receiving the sequenced reads, the quality of the raw data was checked using FASTQC
(Andrews 2010).
Alignment with reference genome
Sequences were demultiplexed by barcode length using process_radtags in STACKS v 1.45
(Catchen et al. 2013). Reads were truncated to 90 bp and bases with a Phred score less than 30
were discarded. Individuals with less than 100 000 reads were then removed. BOWTIE2
(Langmead et al. 2012) was used to align reads to the pre-assembled reference genome of the
thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) (Tigano et al. 2017a). Alignments were quality filtered,
retaining only those alignments with a mapping quality of 10. Ref_map (STACKS) was used to
align the reads to the thick-billed murre genome. The minimum number of identical, raw reads
required to create a stack was set to 10 and a population map with the sampling location of each
individual was supplied. Populations (STACKS) was then used to generate output files for
various programs to calculate population genetics statistics. For a locus to be included in the
analyses it had to be present in four of the six populations and possessed by 75% of the
individuals in a population. (Alternative values for these parameters were tested in order to select
those that allowed for the highest level of stringency while still retaining the majority of
47
informative markers.) A minimum minor allele frequency of 0.05 was required to process a
nucleotide site at a locus, and data analysis was restricted to one random SNP per locus.
VCFTOOLS (Danecek 2011) was used to determine the amount of missing data of each
individual. Individuals with more than 11% missing data were removed. A total of 32 individuals
and 5424 SNPs remained for further analyses.
Data Analyses
Population genetic analysis
Global FST and pairwise FST between population pairs were calculated with an analysis of
molecular variance (AMOVA) in GENODIVE and tested for significance using 10000
permutations (values were corroborated using the R-package hierfstat (Goudet 2004)) (Weir and
Cockerham 1984; Meirmans and Tienderen 2004). Global and population diversity indices and F-
statistics for each SNP were tested in STACKS and GENODIVE. Major allele frequencies,
percentage of polymorphic sites, and π indicate the general level of genetic diversity in a
population. FIS is the inbreeding coefficient, and positive values indicate nonrandom mating or
subpopulation structure (Allendorf et al. 2013). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to
test for significant differences between diversity indices of populations in R v 3.3.1 (R Core
Team 2017).
The program STRUCTURE v 2.3.4 (Pritchard et al. 2000, Pritchard et al. 2010) was used
to infer population structure. Each run used a burn-in of 50,000 followed by 100,000 MCMC
iterations, using the admixture model with correlated allele frequencies and both with and
without sampling location as prior information. Each value of K from 1 to 10 was run 10 times
and delta K (ΔK) was used to test for the most probable number of genetic populations using
STRUCTURE HARVESTER (Evanno et al. 2005, Earl and vonHoldt 2012). Posterior
48
probabilities were calculated using the equation provided in the STRUCTURE manual (Pritchard
2010). Membership probabilities were averaged among runs using CLUMPP v 1.1.2. (Jakobsson
and Rosenberg 2007) and results were displayed using DISTRUCT v.1.1 (Rosenberg 2004). A
principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the R-packages adegenet (Jombart
2008) and ade4 (Dray and Dufour 2007).
A correlation between geographic distance and genetic distance was tested using a Mantel
test (Mantel 1976) executed with the R-packages ecodist (Goslee and Urban 2007) and ade4 with
500000 replicates. Geographic distances were estimated using a measuring tool in Google Maps
(scale of 1:500 km) and were log-transformed (Google Map 2017). Shoreline distance was tested
as well as linear distance, because black guillemots will avoid flying over land or ice and so the
shortest functional distance between two populations would be along the coastline. Slatkin’s
linearized FST (D) was used as a measure of genetic distance. FST values were calculated in
GENODIVE and transformed to Slatkin’s FST (D = FST/(1-FST)). The Mantel tests were run with
the null hypothesis that r <= 0 and the alternative hypothesis that r > 0.
Outlier analysis
Outlier analysis was performed using BAYESCAN v 2.1 (Foll and Gaggiotti 2008),
which uses differences in allele frequencies between populations to identify putative candidate
SNPs under selection. Input files were converted to BAYESCAN format using PGDSPIDER v
2.1.1.2 (Lischer and Excoffier 2011). BAYESCAN was used to search for the signal of selection
among all SNPs in several pairwise comparisons, allowing for a false discovery rate of 5%.
Comparisons were made between a) those populations at higher latitudes (Alaska and Nunavut)
vs. those at lower latitudes (St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine), and b)
populations in the Arctic (Alaska) vs. populations in the Atlantic (Nunavut, St. Lawrence, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine). Prior odds for the neutral model were set to 1:10 and 20
49
pilot runs consisting of 5000 iterations each were run, followed by 10,000 iterations with a burn-
in length of 50,000 iterations as suggested per the manual (Foll 2012). Convergence was
assessed using the R package CODA (Plummer et al. 2006). BAYESCAN output was visualized
in R v 3.3.1. Posterior odds were used to indicate how much more likely the model with
selection was compared to the neutral model according to Jeffrey’s scale of evidence. Positive
alpha values were then used to distinguish SNPs under diversifying selection, while negative
alpha values were used to indicate balancing selection (Foll 2012). After detection of outliers,
the VCF file output from STACKS and VCFTOOLS were used to determine the frequency of
alleles and genotypes at these particular loci.
Results
Population genetic analysis
Most values for genetic diversity indices were similar among populations, with the exception of
nucleotide diversity and FIS (Table 3.2). The average frequency of polymorphic sites across all
sites was 0.47%, the average frequency of private alleles was 0.003% for all sites and 0.5% for
variant sites, and the average major allele frequency (P) among variant positions was 81.8%. An
estimate of global FIS was significantly greater than zero (FIS = 0.047, p < 0.05). Estimates of FIS
for individual populations were low but significantly greater than zero for all populations except
Nova Scotia (Table 3.2). The estimate of global population genetic structure was weak but
statistically significant (FST = 0.042, p <0.05). Estimates of FST between pairs of regional
samples were weak but significant for the majority of comparisons (Table 3.3). When location
was not used as prior information, results from STRUCTURE and STRUCTURE HARVESTER
indicated that black guillemots comprise two genetic groups (K=2; Supplementary Table 3.1).
However when location was used as prior information, results from STRUCTURE and
50
STRUCTURE HARVESTER were mixed. Delta K (ΔK) most strongly supported two genetic
groups (K=2; Figure 3.2A; Supplementary Table 3.1), while posterior probabilities supported
three genetic groups (K=3; Figure 3.2B; Supplementary Table 3.1). Assignment probabilities
suggested that genetic groups were not completely geographically segregated, but genetic
differentiation appeared to increase with geographic distance. Results from the PCA showed
marked differentiation among populations (Figure 3.3A). The first two principal components
explained 11.6% of the variance. When populations were grouped by subspecies in the PCA, C.
c. mandtii, C. c. ultimus, and C. c. arcticus all clustered as unique groups (Figure 3.3B). The first
two principal components explained 11.6% of the variance.
The Mantel test using shortest distance as the measurement of geographic distance
between regional samples was not significant (r = 0.35, p = 0.13). A Mantel test using shoreline
distance was significant however, and a positive correlation was found between geographic and
genetic distance (r = 0.63, p = 0.03; Figure 3.4). Results were the same from both ecodist and
ade4.
Outlier analysis
Different pairwise comparison in BAYESCAN produced a different number of outlier
SNPs: the comparison between high and low latitudes detected three outliers (SNP 3478, SNP
6283, and SNP 15077), and the comparison between the Arctic and Atlantic ocean populations
detected one outlier (SNP 13821). Log10 posterior odds for each outlier locus ranged from 1.2 to
3.4 (Supplementary Table 3.2), which according to Jeffrey’s scale of evidence (Foll 2012)
strongly supports the model with selection over the neutral model in all cases. All of these loci
produced positive alpha values (Supplementary Table 3.2), which suggests that they all
experienced diversifying selection. FST estimates averaged over all populations ranged from 0.19
to 0.24 for all loci (Supplementary Table 3.2). For each locus one allele was typically more
51
frequent across populations than the other (Supplementary Table 3.2). There did appear to be
some sorting of genotypes according to which biological group the population belonged to (i.e.
high latitude vs. low latitude). High latitude populations were exclusively homozygous for C/C
at SNP 3478, whereas low latitude populations contained a mix of homozygous C/C (27.3%),
heterozygous C/A (27.3%), and homozygous A/A (45.4%). At SNP 15077, high latitude
populations contained a mix of homozygous A/A (23.8%), heterozygous A/G (47.6%), and
homozygous G/G (28.6%), whereas low latitude populations were exclusively homozygous for
A/A. Upon closer inspection one of the SNPs (SNP 6283) from the latitudinal comparison and
the single SNP from the Pacific/Atlantic comparison were missing ~34% of their data making it
difficult to draw any further conclusions for these SNPs.
Discussion
Population genetic structure
Black guillemots exhibit weak but significant population genetic structure among regional
populations in North America at neutral nuclear loci. The estimate of global FST was statistically
significant and the majority of pairwise FST estimates were statistically significant (Table 3.3).
Defined population structure was also visible from STRUCTURE (Figure 3.2) and PCA analyses
(Figure 3.3A). These results suggest that gene flow might be restricted among black guillemot
populations to some degree. Populations from Maine and New Brunswick showed high
similarity, with birds from both populations identifying as almost 100% from the same genetic
cluster in STRUCTURE and overlapping in the PCA. This is supported by a low FST estimate for
pairwise population comparisons (Table 3.3). Similarity between these two populations is not
surprising, as New Brunswick and Maine are the closest sampling locations geographically. The
regions they inhabit (Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy) also share similar biological and physical
52
characteristics, which differ from those of the next nearest population in Nova Scotia, located
along the Scotian Shelf (Greenlaw et al. 2013; Ward-Paige and Bundy 2016). For this reason, it
makes sense that birds from Maine and New Brunswick might be more similar to each other than
to those from Nova Scotia as they are potentially well adapted to that region and potentially
overwinter in proximity to one another. Similar differences have been shown in Atlantic herring
(Clupea harengus), with fish sampled from the Scotian Shelf showing weak but significant
differentiation from those sampled in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy (McPherson et al.
2004). Birds from Nova Scotia, St. Lawrence, and Nunavut showed intermediate assignment to
the two genetic clusters identified by STRUCTURE at K=2 (Figure 3.2A). The distinction
becomes a bit clearer in the STRUCTURE plot from K=3 (Figure 3.2B): a third genetic group is
formed comprising Nunavut, St. Lawrence and Nova Scotia samples. Birds from Nunavut and St.
Lawrence then showed some probability of membership to the same genetic cluster as Alaskan
birds, while birds from Nova Scotia showed partial membership to the same genetic cluster as
birds from New Brunswick and Maine. STRUCTURE does not work well under isolation by
distance, which could explain the discrepancy (Pritchard 2010). Populations appeared to group
together somewhat according to their geographic distribution. More broadly, these differences
could also be associated with latitude. Black guillemots from Alaska are quite genetically
distinct from southeastern populations of black guillemots in North America. These populations
are the furthest from one another geographically, which could be leading to this marked
differentiation. The pattern of differentiation visible in black guillemots also corresponds to
timing of ice-retreat following the last glacial maximum during the Pleistocene (Dyke 2004).
The ice retreated first from the east coast of North America between Maine, New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia and these populations are more similar to each other than to the other populations.
The ice then retreated from the St. Lawrence, Nunavut, and Alaska at later dates.
53
The strong population genetic structure in black guillemots is similar to that seen in
pigeon guillemots (Chapter 2) and as with pigeon guillemots, this contrasts with weak or absent
genetic population differentiation in most other high-latitude seabird species (reviewed in Friesen
2015). Overall my results were in agreement with the findings of Kidd and Friesen (1998).
Although I did not survey all of the same populations, both studies detected marked
differentiation between North American populations. Kidd and Friesen found higher values of
FST in their analyses using the mitochondrial control region, however FST is a relative measure of
genetic differentiation and this could have been affected by the use of different sampling
locations in each project as well as the use of nuclear DNA as opposed to mtDNA.
Estimates of FIS were significantly greater than zero for all populations except Nova
Scotia. Positive values of FIS indicate a deficit of heterozygotes relative to Hardy-Weinberg
proportions and are often caused by nonrandom mating within populations or population
subdivision (Allendorf et al. 2013). Inbreeding is one consequence of small population sizes.
Although population sizes of black guillemots in North America are largely undocumented,
populations are typically small (Butler and Buckley 2002). Alternatively, significant estimates of
FIS could be due to the presence of null alleles.
Isolation by distance
Differentiation among black guillemot populations showed a strong positive correlation between
geographic distance (measured along the shoreline) and genetic distance. This often results from
a species’ dispersal being constrained by distance so that gene flow is most likely to occur
between neighbouring colonies (Hutchison and Templeton 1999), corresponding to a stepping
stone model (Kimura and Weiss 1964). As a result, populations that are closer together
geographically tend to be more genetically similar as suggested by the current results. This
supports our current understanding of dispersal among guillemots, as they are unlikely to fly over
54
land and water and will typically stay close to their breeding colonies throughout the year
minimizing the opportunity for gene flow. Isolation by distance can also result from secondary
contact between historically isolated populations (Bertl and Blum 2016). Further testing on the
evolutionary history of black guillemots is necessary. Kidd and Friesen (1998) found no
evidence of a relationship between genetic and geographic distance (measured both linearly and
along the shoreline between colonies) in their study, which was conducted at a larger scale.
Future analyses involving more widely distributed populations of black guillemots will be
necessary to determine whether the pattern of isolation by distance (at nuclear markers) holds up
on a global scale. The prevalence of isolation by distance in seabirds is not well known. In many
cases distance is not a barrier to dispersal in seabirds and geographic distance has been found to
only weakly explain the extent of population genetic structure (e.g. black-legged kittiwake, Rissa
tridactyla; reviewed in Friesen et al. 2007). While distance is clearly a factor in the
differentiation among guillemots, other factors are likely involved as well.
Outlier analysis: possible adaptation to climatic regions
The comparison between high and low latitude populations in BAYESCAN produced two viable
outliers that showed signatures of diversifying selection. Population genotypes varied according
to their membership in the high or low latitude group at both markers. Individuals from high
latitude populations were all C/C homozygotes at the first marker, and a combination of A/A,
A/G, and G/G genotypes at the second. Conversely, individuals from low latitudes were a
combination of C/C, C/A, and A/A genotypes at the first marker, and all A/A homozygotes at the
second. Populations at different latitudes are exposed to different environmental pressures and
evidence from population genetics analyses suggests that black guillemots do not migrate to
distant populations. As such, we might expect black guillemots to be locally adapted to the
specific environmental conditions of their region (such as climate and exposure to pack ice). A
55
study on thick-billed murres found that outlier loci grouped individuals from different
populations according to their non-breeding distribution suggesting that outliers may be
informative about adaptation and connectivity (Tigano et al. 2017b). Aside from this, molecular
methods have not been widely used to test for local adaptation in seabirds (some examples
include Li et al 2014; Vásquez-Carillo et al. 2014). Although the results from the present study
are not enough to conclude that black guillemots are locally adapted, it highlights the need for
further research in this area.
Subspecies and management
Subspecies of black guillemots were previously designated based on variation in morphological
differences (Storer 1952). Differentiation at neutral markers agrees with the current subspecies
delineations. Populations from different subspecies clustered together in genetic analyses,
suggesting that they are more similar to each other than to populations from other subspecies
(Figure 3.2; Figure 3.3). However, population structure also exists within C. c. arcticus. As
such, regional populations should be managed as separate units (with the exception of New
Brunswick and Maine).
Future directions
The use of ddRADseq to sequence thousands of markers allowed me to examine population
structure at a higher resolution than has previously been done. The use of a reference genome
created by whole-genome sequencing can be used in combination with RADseq methods to
improve the quality of population genetic analyses (Andres and Luikart 2014). Whole-genome
sequencing can also be used to further explore patterns of adaptive molecular evolution and to
link genes to phenotypes (Toews et al. 2016). This approach would be useful for furthering our
understanding of how black guillemots might be genetically adapted to local climates. As well,
this study made use of only a small number of individuals per population. Increasing sample
56
sizes will improve power of analyses. My sample distribution spanned most of North America,
however some important sampling gaps still exist, such as Newfoundland and Labrador and areas
of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. This study also focused solely on populations in North
America, however black guillemots are distributed throughout the Arctic and North Atlantic.
Future analyses including samples from other parts of the distribution and all of the subspecies
will allow us to make more general conclusions about population genetic structure in black
guillemots. As well, future work on the evolutionary history of black guillemots is necessary to
determine whether genetic differentiation in black guillemots arose as a result of historical
isolation or contemporary processes.
57
Table 3.1. Subspecies, sampling regions, region abbreviations, sites, and sample numbers (n) for
black guillemots.
Subspecies Region
Site n Abbrev- iation
mandtii Alaska AK Cooper Is. 8
ultimus Nunavut NU Prince Leopold Is. 4
Digges Sound 9
Coats Island 3
East Bay 3
arcticus St. Lawrence STL Long Pèlerin 5
Nova Scotia NS Country Is. 10
New Brunswick NB Kent Is. 5
Maine ME Great Duck Is. 8
Total 55
58
Table 3.2. Summary statistics for all populations across variant nucleotide sites and all sites.
Statistics include the number of private alleles in each population (private), the number of
polymorphic (top) or total (bottom) nucleotide sites across the dataset (sites), percentage of
polymorphic loci (% Poly), the average frequency of the major allele (P), the average observed
heterozygosity per locus (Ho), the average nucleotide diversity (π), and the average Wright’s
inbreeding coefficient (FIS). FIS values significantly greater than zero (p < 0.05) are indicated with
‘*’. Region abbreviations as in Table 3.1.
Pop ID Private Sites % Poly P (%) Ho π FIS Variant positions
AK 64 5265 80.36 81 0.267 0.279 0.0331* NU 26 5355 69.49 82.1 0.268 0.269 0.0083* STL 6 5311 47.49 84.27 0.252 0.263 0.0169* NS 26 4866 86.79 80.57 0.274 0.287 0.0374 NB 6 5236 65.15 81.99 0.276 0.283 0.0124* ME 27 5216 82.27 81.06 0.265 0.281 0.0405*
All positions AK 64 810913 0.52 99.88 0.002 0.002 0.0002 NU 26 820550 0.45 99.88 0.002 0.002 0.0001 STL 6 808934 0.31 99.9 0.002 0.002 0.0001 NS 26 747877 0.56 99.87 0.002 0.002 0.0002 NB 6 808377 0.42 99.88 0.002 0.002 0.0001 ME 27 804210 0.53 99.88 0.002 0.002 0.0003
59
Table 3.3. Estimates of FST for pairwise comparisons of black guillemot regional samples based
on nuclear loci. Region abbreviations as in Table 3.1.
AK NU STL NS NB ME n 8 3 2 8 3 8 AK
NU 0.03* STL 0.07* 0.05
NS 0.05* 0.03* 0.05* NB 0.07* 0.05 0.07 0.02*
ME 0.07* 0.05* 0.08* 0.03* 0.01* *Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05
60
Figure 3.1 Distribution map of black guillemots (modified from Storer 1952; Svanberg and
Ægisson 2006). Thin lines represent approximate ranges of subspecies. White dots represent
sampling sites. Sampling site codes from northwest to southeast: CI = Cooper Is., PLI = Prince
Leopold Is., DS = Digges Sound, Cts = Coats Island, EB = East Bay, LP = Long Pèlerin, Ctr =
Country Is., KI = Kent Is., GDI = Great Duck Is.
Figure 3.2 Probabilities of assignment of individuals to different genetic populations derived
from the program STRUCTURE, based on genetic variation in nuclear loci of black guillemots
with sampling location used as prior information. Populations are ordered as they appear
geographically, from northwest to southeast (left to right). See Table 3.1 for abbreviations.
A) Probabilities of assignment of individuals to each of two genetic populations (K=2).
B) Probabilities of assignment of individuals to each of three genetic populations (K=3).
Figure 3.3 Results of principal component analysis of nuclear variation in black guillemots
grouped by A) population and B) subspecies.
A) 1 = Alaska 2 = Nunavut 3 = St. Lawrence 4 = Nova Scotia, 5 = New Brunswick, 6 =
Maine.
B) 1 = mandtii (Alaska), 2 = ultimus (Nunavut), 3 = arcticus (St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick, Maine).
Figure 3.4. Regression plot from Mantel test testing for correlation between genetic distance
(Slatkin’s linearized FST) and geographic distance (log-transformed shoreline distance). Points
that represent comparisons between subspecies are circled and labeled.
61
Fig. 3.1
62
A
B
Fig. 3.2
63
A
B
Fig. 3.3
d = 5
1
2
3
4
5
6
Eigenvalues
d = 5
1
2
3
Eigenvalues
64
Fig. 3.3
65
Chapter 4
General Discussion
Population Genetic Structure
My first objective was to investigate the extent to which regional populations of both pigeon
guillemots (Cepphus columba) and black guillemots (C. grylle) exhibited differentiation at
neutral markers. Genetic variation was strongly structured geographically in both species of
guillemot. In pigeon guillemots, mitochondrial control region sequences showed high variability
and the majority of haplotypes were private. Weak population structure was also found using
nuclear DNA (four microsatellites and two introns). Global estimates of ΦST and FST were
statistically significant and the majority of pairwise estimates for genetic differentiation between
populations were significant. Analyses using STRUCTURE and PCA also provided evidence for
geographically structured genetic variation. In black guillemots, clear population genetic
structure was evident from analyses with nuclear DNA (5424 single nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs) from double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq)). A global
estimate of FST was significant and estimates of FST between population pairs were weak but
significant for the majority of comparisons. Analyses using STRUCTURE and principal
components analysis (PCA) also provided evidence for geographically structured genetic
variation. This marked genetic structure suggests that gene flow among guillemot populations
within a species might be restricted. I was therefore able to reject the null hypothesis that
guillemots are not genetically differentiated at neutral markers.
Isolation by distance
As part of my first objective I also wanted to determine whether genetic differentiation
was affected by distance between populations in both pigeon and black guillemots. I predicted
66
that genetic differentiation in guillemots would follow a pattern of isolation by distance as a
result of dispersal following a stepping stone model. In both species, genetic distance was
strongly correlated with geographic distance (measured as the shortest distance along the
shoreline between populations). As well, in pigeon guillemots, shared haplotypes from the
mitochondrial control region occurred primarily between neighbouring colonies. Results from
STRUCTURE and PCA in both species also suggested increasing genetic differences with
geographic distance. This pattern of genetic differentiation in which populations that are closer
geographically are more similar genetically is typical of isolation by distance (Mantel 1967;
Hutchison and Templeton 1999). I was able to reject the null hypothesis that distance between
populations had no effect on genetic differentiation. These results contradict those from Kidd
and Friesen (1998), who found no association between geographic and genetic distance in black
guillemots. Isolation by distance has not been well studied in seabirds. Often, distance is not a
barrier to dispersal among seabirds as they are typically strong fliers and individuals from some
species have been known to travel long distances for foraging trips and migration (Shealer 2002;
Egevang et al. 2010). In seabird species that do exhibit genetic differentiation, geographic
distance only weakly explained the extent of population genetic structure (reviewed in Friesen et
al. 2007). As such, guillemots provide a useful system for studying how genetic differentiation is
affected by limited dispersal in a highly mobile organism.
Evolutionary history
In Chapter 2, my second objective was to determine whether differentiation in pigeon
guillemots was a result of historical isolation or contemporary processes. I predicted that genetic
differentiation in pigeon guillemots could have arisen historically, through isolation in glacial
refugia or alternatively, they could have become differentiated in situ through genetic drift and /
67
or selection due to restricted gene flow. I found evidence for differentiation through both
historical and contemporary processes. MtDNA haplotypes and estimates of ΦST ad FST
supported historical isolation of pigeon guillemots in the Aleutian Islands versus continental
North America. The Aleutian Islands populations represented a monophyletic split in the
phylogenetic tree and divergence was estimated to have occurred prior to the Wisconsin
glaciation. Results from DIYABC also supported pre-glacial timing of this divergence.
Contemporary processes were supported by results from STRUCTURE, PCA, and a Mantel test,
all of which suggested that populations were more genetically similar to populations situated
nearby than to those further away. As well, shared haplotypes from the mitochondrial control
region occurred primarily between neighbouring colonies. The combination of these results
provides strong evidence that both historical and contemporary processes led to differentiation in
pigeon guillemots.
Outlier analysis
In Chapter 3, I also performed exploratory outlier analyses to identify loci putatively
under selection in black guillemots. I identified two viable loci from a pairwise comparison
between high and low latitude populations, and both loci showed signatures of diversifying
selection. At each locus, genotypes sorted according to latitude. One possible explanation is that
high and low latitude populations are found in different climate regions. Further study is required
to make definitive conclusions about loci under selection in black guillemots.
Subspecies and management
Subspecies have been described for both pigeon guillemots and black guillemots (Storer
1952). Three out of five pigeon guillemot subspecies and three out of six black guillemot
subspecies were represented in the present studies. Population genetic structure in pigeon
68
guillemots did not reflect the current subspecies divisions and it is my recommendation that these
be revised. I would also suggest that pigeon guillemot populations in the Aleutian Islands be
considered for designation as an Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) as their differentiation has
been strongly influenced by historical processes (Casacci et al. 2014). Population genetic
structure in black guillemots did agree with current subspecies delineations. Based on the level of
variation detected within the subspecies however, I would recommend that black guillemots be
treated as management units (sensu Moritz 1994).
Importance
Understanding how evolutionary forces (i.e. mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, and
natural selection) influence genetic variation within and among populations and shape patterns of
biodiversity is fundamental to the study of evolutionary genetics. Guillemots provide a useful
system for investigating how these evolutionary forces shape population genetic differentiation in
a genus with a wide range that disperses according to a one-dimensional stepping stone model.
Despite their capacity for high mobility, I found evidence of limited dispersal and restricted gene
flow between distant populations. Genetic differentiation appeared to follow a pattern of
isolation by distance. As well, population genetic structure appeared to be a combination of both
historical and contemporary processes. The results from this study hold promising insight into
how certain patterns of gene flow can lead to different patterns of population genetic structure.
Future Directions
Future studies should employ high-throughput sequencing techniques to increase the
number of markers and to produce a reference genome. The use of a reference genome will
increase the quality of the filtered data (Andrews and Luikart 2014). Many populations are
represented by a small number of individuals. Increasing sample sizes and using roughly the
69
same number of samples for each population will improve the accuracy and power of analyses
(Quinn and Keough 2002). Several important sampling gaps existed in each study and gathering
samples from these areas would improve our understanding of population genetic structure in
both species.
70
Summary
Chapter 2
Both historical and contemporary processes lead to population genetic differentiation in
pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba)
1. Understanding the forces that shape population genetic structure is fundamental to the study of
evolution.
2. Pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) experience many potential non-geographic barriers to
gene flow, which could result in strong population genetic structure.
3. I analysed variation in the mitochondrial control region, four microsatellite loci, and two
introns to assess genetic differentiation at neutral markers in pigeon guillemots and to determine
whether differentiation was a result of historical isolation or contemporary processes.
4. I found significant population genetic structure at both mitochondrial and nuclear markers.
Genetic differentiation followed a pattern of isolation by distance. Marked differences were
found between the Aleutian Island populations and mainland populations and strong evidence
was found for differentiation in pigeon guillemots arising as a result of both historical isolation
and contemporary processes.
5. I recommend that the current pigeon guillemot subspecies designations be reviewed and that
pigeon guillemot populations in the Aleutian Islands be considered for designation as an
evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) as their differentiation has been strongly influenced by
historical processes.
71
Summary
Chapter 3
An assessment of population genomic structure in black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) in
North America
1. If local populations are genetically differentiated, then extirpation of a population results in
partial loss of a species’ genetic diversity and local adaptations, which can affect a species’
ability to adapt to stressors.
2. Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) may be highly vulnerable to climate change in parts of their
range, but little research has been done to assess genetic variation in this species.
3. I conducted a genome-wide survey of genetic variation using double-digest restriction-site
associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to determine the extent to which regional populations
of black guillemots differ at neutral and putatively adaptive markers. I tested the hypothesis that
regional populations of black guillemots are genetically distinct and I predicted that
differentiation in black guillemot would follow a pattern of isolation by distance.
4. I found that black guillemots exhibit clear population genetic structure, suggesting that gene
flow among black guillemot populations is restricted. Genetic differentiation followed a pattern
of isolation by distance.
5. Outlier analyses detected two putatively adaptive loci. Genotypes at these loci were sorted by
latitude.
6. My research indicates that regional populations of black guillemots should be managed as
separate units.
72
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Appendix A
Supplementary Material for Chapter 2
Supplementary Table 2.1. PCR primers and annealing temperatures for nuclear loci screened in
pigeon guillemots.
Locus Primer Sequence Annealing (forward/reverse) Temperature (̊C) Cytochrome c GAAAAAGGAGGCAAGCACAAGACTGG/ 53 Intron I1 TGTTCCTGGGGATGTACTTCTTTGGATT
Ribosomal protein 40 GGGCCTGATGTGGTGGATGCTGGC/ 63 Intron V2 GCTTTCTCAGCAGCAGCCTGCTC Cco5-91 TTCCTACCAGTAAAAGAGAGGA/ 55
GTACCCCTTTCCTAATTCAAG Cco5-211 TCAAGATGATGAAGACCCTAAT/ 55 AGAGTTGCACAGGTTAAATACC Dpu162 ACAGCAAGGTCAGAATTAAA/ 61 AACTGTTGTGTCTGAGCCT Uaa5-83 CAGTTTCTTTAAGTCGTGCCAG/ 60 CACTTAGGTCCAAAACCTAACC 1Friesen et al., unpubl. data
2Dawson et al. 1997 3Ibarguchi et al. 2000
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Supplementary Table 2.2. Variable sites within a 723 bp fragment of the mitochondrial control region among 202 pigeon guillemots.
Roman numerals indicate Domain. Arabic numerals indicate location relative to the 5’ end of the control region. ? indicates an
uncertain base. Hyphens represent deletions.
________________________________________________________________________________________
I II III 11111111111111111111111111112222222222222222222233333333333 34456 666667777788 99 44455555566666677788888899990001113334555566678800222445555 92501 228880388934 45 57903578902346702923457814561574674561367923500119689043456 87542 072393034098 07 ________________________________________________________________________________________ AA01 TCCTCTAGCCATTCTTCACCTTTCAAAGGTATTGCCCAAGCTCCGGGGGGGGCTATTTA AACAT--TCCGTAGTCGTT TT AB01 ..............C....T.............A.......C................. ................... .. AC01 ..............C....T.............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. AD01 ..............C......................G..................... ................... .. AD06 ..............C......................G..................... ................... CC AE01 ..............C............................................ ................... .. AF01 ..A.?...?.....C......................G..................... ................... .. AG01 ..............C.................................A.......... ................... .. AH01 ..............................G............................ ................... .. AI01 ...?T...T?..C.C....T.............A.......C................. ................... .. AJ01 C.AAT..?T.??C.C?A..T.............A.......C................. ................... .. AK01 C.AAT..?T..C?.C?A..T.............A.......C......AA......... ................... .. AL01 ............C.C....TC............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. AL12 ............C.C....TC............A.......C......A.......... ................A.. .. AM01 ............C.C..G...............A.......CT.A...A.......... ................... .. AN01 ............C.C....TC............A.......C................. ................... .. AO01 ............C......T..CT.........A.............AA.......... ................... .. AO05 ............C......T..CT.........A.............AA.......... ...........C....... .. AP01 ....T.........C....T.............A.......C......A.......... ................... ..
87
AQ01 ...?T..T....?.C......................G..................... ................... .. AR01 ........?...C?.....T.............A.......C....A.A.......... ................... .. AS02 ............C.C....T.............A.......C................. .........T......... .. AT01 ............C.C..................A.......CT.....A.......... ................... .. AU01 ........?...C?C?A..T.............A.......C.?............... ................... .. AV01 ............C.C....T.............A.......C................. ................... .. AW01 ............C.C....T.............A.......C..........T...... ................... .. AX03 ....T.........C.................C................A......... ..........A........ .C AY01 ....?.GA....C.C....TC............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. AZ02 ............CTC....T.............A.......CT.A...A.......... ...T.....T......... .. BA01 ............C.C....T.C...........A.......C................. ................... .. BB01 .............TC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...AA......... ................... .. BC01 ............C.C...TT.............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. BD01 ....?...?...C.C...TT.............A.......C......AA......... G.................. .. BE01 ....?.......C.C....T.............A.......C......A...T...... ................... .. BF01 ....T........TC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... ................... .. BG01 ....?.......CTC....T.....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... ................... .. BH01 .............TC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... ................... .. BI01 ....?.......CTC....T....GG.......A.......CT.A...A.......... G.................. .. BJ01 ....?........TC....TAC...G.......A.......CT.A...A...T...... ................... .. BK01 ....T.......C.C...TT.............A.......C......A.......... G.................. .. BL01 ............C.C....T.............A.......C....A.A.......... ................... .. BM04 ..AAT..?T..C?TC.A..T.....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... ..................C .. BN01 ............C.C..................A.......C......A....?..... ................... .. BO02 ............CTC.?..T.............A........T.A...A.......... ...T.....T......... .. BP01 ............CTC....T.....G.......A....G..CT.A.............. ................... .. BQ01 ..?AT..TTT?CCTC?A.TT.............A.......C......AA......... G.................. .. BR01 ............C.C....TC...........................A.......... ................... .. BS01 ....T..T...CC?C....T.............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. BT01 ....T..?....CTC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...A....?..... ................... .. BU01 ..T....A....C......T.............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. BV01 ............C......T..CT.........A.......C......A.......... ................... .. BX01 .............TC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...A....C..... ................... .. BZ02 ....T...?...CTC....T.............A.......CT.A...A.......... ...T.....T......... ..
88
CB01 ....T..?...CCTC.A.TTA....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... ................... .. CC01 ............C.C....T............................AA....G.... ................... .. CD08 ...................T...T.G.AAC...A.......CT.....A.......... ....-...T.A........ .? CD11 ...................T...T.G.AAC...A.......CT.....A.......... ..........A..A.-.C. .. CE09 ...................T...T.G.A.C...A.......CT.....A.......... ....-...T.A..AC.... .? CH01 ............C.C....T.............A..............A.....G.... ...?............... .. CJ01 .....C......C.C....T.............A.......C......A.......... ...?............... .. CK01 ..........?.C.C....T............................A.....G.... ...?............... .. CL01 ............C.C....T......G.......G..........T..A.....G.... ...?............... .. CN08 ...................T...T.G.AAC...A..T....CTT.T..AACC..GACCT ...?-...T.A........ .? CP08 ....................T..CT.G.AAC...A.......CTT....AA......... ...?-...T.A........ .? CR01 .............C.C....T..CT.........A.......C................. ...?............... .. CS01 ...........?.CTC...?..............A.......CT.A...AA......... G..?............... .. CT01 .............C.C....T...........C.A..T....C......A.......... ...?............... .. CU15 ....................T...T.G.AAC...A.......CTT....AA......... ...?......A........ .. CV01 .............C.C...CT..CT...............CG....T............. ...?............... .. CW01 ......?....C.C?C?A..T.............A.......C...T..A.......... ...?............... .. DB01 .............C.C..G...............A.......CT.....AA......... ....?????.......... .. DC01 .............C.C..................A.......CT.....AA......... ....?????.......... .. DD01 .............C.C.....C............A.......C......AA......... .......?........... .. DD05 .............C.C.....C............A.......C......AA......... ...........C....... .. DE05 .............C.C....T.............A..............A.......... ...........C....... .. DF01 .............C.C..G...............A.......C......A.......... ................... .. DG17 .....????????????A..T...T.G.AAC...A.T....?CT.....A.......... .....AT.T.A.G...... .C DH18 .....?????????????..TC..T.G.AAC...A......?C.?....A.......... ..........A........ .. DG19 .....???????????AA..T...T.G.AAC...A.......CT.....A.......... .....AT.T.A..A..... ?? DI20 .....??TT????????A..T...T.G.AAC...T.......CTT....A.......... ........T.A........ ?? DK18 ....................T..?T.G.?AC...A.......CTT............... ..........A........ .. DL21 .T.....?T...?.?.....T..?T.G.?AC...A.......C......A.......... .C...AT.T.A........ .C DM18 ........T...........T...T.G.AAC...A.......CTT....AA......... ..........A........ .. DN18 ....................T...T.G.?AC...A.......CTT....AA......... ..G.......A........ .. DO22 ...........?..TC....TA....G.......A.......CT.A...A.......... .......G........... ??
89
Supplementary Table 2.3. Frequencies of control region haplotypes within regional samples of
pigeon guillemots. Region abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Haplotype
Region
Andr Fox Shum Semi Cook PWS SEAK Clel Mand cOre cCal
AA01
6 3 AB01
2 3 2 3
AC01
1 1
1 1 1 AD01
3 8
AD06
1 AE01
2 2
AF01
7 AG01
7
AH01
2 AI01
1
AJ01
1 AK01
1
AL01
3 12 2 AL12
1
AM01
2 2 AN01
4
AO01
1 AO05
1
AP01
1 AQ01
1
AR01
1 AS02
4
AT01
1
1 AU01
2
AV01
1
2 AW01
1
AX03
1 AY01
1
AZ02
1 1 BA01
2
BB01
1 BC01
1 1 1 3
BD01
1 3 1 BE01
2 2
90
BF01
4 2 BG01
3
BH01
1
1
3 BI01
1
BJ01
1 BK01
2
BL01
2 BM04
1
BN01
1
1 BO02
1
BP01
1 BQ01
4
BR01
3 BS01
1
BT01
2 BU01
2
BV01
1 BX01
1
BZ02
1 CB01
1
CC01
1 CD08
1 1
CD11
3 CE09
1
CH01
1 CJ01
1 1
CK01
1 CL01
1
CN08
1 CP08
1
CR01
1 CS01
1
CT01
1 CU15 2
CV01
1 CW01
1
DB01
1 DC01
1
DD01
1 DD05
1
DE05
2 DF01
1
DG17 1
91
DG19 1 DH18 1 DI20 1 DK18 1 DL21 1 DM18 1 DN18 1 DO22
1
Total 10 8 7 7 34 30 9 7 29 24 37
92
Supplementary Table 2.4. Numbers of samples and regional allele frequencies (absolute
numbers) for two introns and four microsatellites for pigeon guillemots. Region abbreviations as
in Table 2.1.
Andr Fox Shum Semi Cook PWS SEAK Clel Mand cOre cCal Cytochrome c Intron I 1 6 4 7 12 36 32
9 32 30 41
2 7 8 7 6 19 20 11 6 16 14 7 3
1
1 7
5 1 10
4 2
2
2 5 3 1
1 1 6
2
6
1 N 18 14 14 20 66 58 18 16 58 46 48
Ribosomal Protein 40 Intron V 1 9 12 13 16 48 47 14 11 45 34 40 2 7 2 1 3 18 11 1 4 12 12 6 3 1
1
2
1
4 1 5
1
6
1 N 18 14 14 20 66 58 18 16 58 46 46
Cco5-9 112 2 2 1 6 7 10 6 25 3 120 1 1 122 3 4 4 5 12 14 9 7 20 32 55 124 1 1 2 2 11 9 3 1 1 126 10 4 4 3 15 13 4 1 4 5 128 1 2 1 1 130 1 1 4 11 8 134 1 1 1 1 136 1 1 1 4 1 8 1 138 1 4 140 2 2 N 18 14 13 20 66 58 18 17 58 46 55
93
Cco5-21 126 2 2 2 1 3 1 128 2 130 1 132 3 1 4 6 16 10 11 12 42 22 25 136 1 3 3 2 3 10 26 138 3 3 1 4 3 1 1 7 140 4 2 3 2 18 9 2 1 9 2 6 142 5 5 5 7 20 22 2 2 1 144 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 146 2 3 6 1 148 1 1 N 18 14 14 20 66 58 17 18 58 46 58
Dpu16 143 2 1 1 6 2 147 18 14 14 18 65 58 18 15 58 40 53 149 1 N 18 14 14 20 66 58 18 16 58 46 58
Uaa5-8 110 8 9 3 10 39 34 12 12 23 20 22 112 5 5 8 9 12 15 5 5 31 18 25 114 1 1 116 1 118 2 1 1 12 6 3 5 10 120 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 N 18 14 14 20 64 58 18 18 58 44 58
94
Supplementary Table 2.5. Table of significant linkage disequilibrium for nuclear loci
(significance level = 0.05). Significance is indicated by a +.
Andr Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC
Uaa5-8 Dpu16 -
Cco5-9 - - Cco-5-21 + - +
RP40 - - - - CYTC + - - - -
Cook
Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC Uaa5-8
Dpu16 - Cco5-9 - -
Cco-5-21 - - + RP40 - - - -
CYTC - - - - -
PWS Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC
Uaa5-8 Dpu16 -
Cco5-9 - - Cco-5-21 - - -
RP40 + - - - CYTC - - - - -
Clel
Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC Uaa5-8
Dpu16 - Cco5-9 - -
Cco-5-21 - - - RP40 + + - -
CYTC - + - - +
95
Mand Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC
Uaa5-8 Dpu16 -
Cco5-9 + - Cco-5-21 - - -
RP40 - - - - CYTC - - - - -
cCal
Locus Uaa5-8 Dpu16 Cco5-9 Cco5-21 RP40 CYTC Uaa5-8
Dpu16 - Cco5-9 - -
Cco-5-21 - - - RP40 - + - -
CYTC - + - - +
96
Supplementary Table 2.6. Sequence variation among alleles for two nuclear introns for pigeon
guillemots. Dots indicate identity with the first sequence. Numbers refer to nucleotide positions
in Supplementary Figure 2.1.
(a) Cytochrome c I (b) Ribosomal Protein 40 V ______________ _________________________ Allele 11 Allele 11111222222233 6915 111569033368923 1329 145414257955066 ______________ _________________________ 1 GCGC 1 TCAGCTATGCGCACC 2 .T.. 2 ...A........... 3 ...A 3 ..............T 4 .TA. 4 ...........T... 5 .T.T 5 .....C......... 6 AT.. 6 CTG.T.GGCTTTTT. ______________ _________________________
97
Supplementary Table 2.7. Estimates of FST for pairwise comparisons of regional samples of pigeon guillemots based on microsatellites
(below diagonal) and introns (above diagonal). Region abbreviations as in Table 2.1.
Andr Fox Shum Semi Cook PWS SEAK Clel Mand cOre cCal Andr
0.04 0.10 0.06 0.04 0.06* 0.13* -0.01 0.07* 0.06* 0.26** Fox -0.01
-0.03 0.04 0.05 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.05 0.08* 0.29**
Shum 0.01 0.03
-0.01 0.03 -0.01 0.14* 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.17* Semi 0.02 0.00 0.00
-0.02 -0.03 0.19* -0.03 -0.02 -0.02 0.04
Cook 0.01 0.01 0.03* 0.02
0.00 0.18** -0.03 -0.01 -0.01 0.08** PWS 0.01 -0.01 0.02 0.00 0.00
0.20** -0.01 0.01 -0.01 0.08*
SEAK 0.10* 0.09* 0.09* 0.07* 0.07* 0.07**
0.16* 0.17** 0.25** 0.46** Clel 0.12** 0.09* 0.10* 0.03 0.07** 0.07** 0.00
-0.02 -0.03 0.10*
Mand 0.17** 0.16** 0.11** 0.08** 0.14** 0.15** 0.09** 0.02
0.01 0.07* cOre 0.13** 0.11** 0.10** 0.08** 0.12** 0.12** 0.05* 0.05* 0.10**
0.05*
cCal 0.28** 0.26** 0.23** 0.20** 0.23** 0.23** 0.17** 0.20** 0.21** 0.04*
*Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05 before B-Y correction **Significantly different from 0 at α = 0.05 after B-Y correction
98
Supplementary Table 2.8. Type I and Type II error rates and posterior probabilities for each
scenario calculated from DIYABC.
True Scenario Type I error rate
Type II error rate
Posterior probability
Scenario 1 0.02 0.026 0.8285 [0.8123,0.8446]
Scenario 2 0.006 0.022 0.0342
[0.0000,0.1101]
Scenario 3 0.04 0.018 0.1373 [0.0562,0.2184]
99
Supplementary Figure 2.1. Demographic scenarios tested using DIYABC. All three scenarios
assume that there are three populations groups (North: Andreanof Is. and Fox Is., Alaska:
Shumigan Is., Eastern Alaska Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, and Southeast
Alaska, and South: Vancouver Is., Central Oregon, and Central California) at the present time
(t0) and these populations diverged in the past. The time scale is shown on the right.
100
Supplementary Figure 2.2. Sequences of the most common alleles for three introns for pigeon guillemots. Variable sites are in bold.
Asterisks represent the beginnings and ends of introns. Positions are relative to the 3’ end of the 5’ primer.
Cytochrome c Intron I Position ACCCAACCTG AATGGCCTCT TTGGACGCAA GACTGGACAG GCTGAGGGCT TCTCTTATAC 60 GGATGCTAAT AAGAATAAAG GTAAACTTCA AGCTGTTCTT ATGAGTTACT AGGGACAAAA 120 * ATACTCAGTT CTTTTCAGTA CTTTCCAGA- ACTACTGCCG TCTGCCCAAA AGTAAAATAA 180 TATGGAGGAA AAGAATATAA ATATGTCTGT TATTTTAA-A GTCACTGACC ATCTC--TTT 240 TCT-TCTTTC TAGGTATCAC CTGGGGTGAG GATACT 276 * Ribosomal Protein 40 Intron V Position TCGGGAGGTC TTGCGCATGC GTGGCACCAT CTCCCGTGAG CACCCATGGG AAGTCATGCC 60 TGACTTGTAC TTCTACAGGG ATCCCGAGGA GGTAGGAGAC CTCAGGAAGG AAGCATGGCT 120 * GTGTGAGATG TCCTCCTTGT GCTCCTGCCC CATGGTCCTG CGTGCCTGCT GTTGAGGACA 180 GGTTTTGCCA ATATAATGAT TACACTTCAC AGTTAGGGTG GTGGTTAATT AGTCTTGTC- 240 ---GTTGGTT GGTGCGTGTT GTCTGGTATG TGATAGTGTG AGGGCGGTGA GGTGTTTCTG 300 GTGGGAGACT TAGGCTACTC TCTTCCGTTG CAGATCGAAA AGGAG 345
101
Appendix B
Supplementary Material for Chapter 3
Supplementary Table 3.1. Mean estimated Ln probabilities and delta K (ΔK) calculated for values
of K from 1-10 using data from STRUCTURE in STRUCTURE HARVESTER. Analyses were
run with and without location as prior information.
No Location
Location K Mean LnP(K) ΔK K Mean LnP(K) ΔK
1 -150410.33 NA 1 -150405.74 NA 2 -148239.76 40.293001 2 -148201.28 76.70808 3 -148310.08 3.808468 3 -148095.81 7.029713 4 -148994.31 10.914477 4 -148687.88 5.054467 5 -151722.08 3.681842 5 -150057.23 0.631452 6 -164720.98 0.235461 6 -152030.55 3.956399 7 -170162.33 0.243076 7 -168302.57 1.144388 8 -170224.89 0.000197 8 -161488.37 0.064289 9 -170290.17 0.221333 9 -155450.53 3.02419 10 -166491.88 NA 10 -175851.48 NA
102
Supplementary Table 3.2. Outlier loci statistics output from BAYESCAN. Statistics for each
locus include the posterior probability for the model including selection (Prob), the logarithm of
Posterior Odds to base 10 (log10(PO)) for the model with selection, the q-value for the model
with selection (q-value), the estimated alpha coefficient indicating the strength and direction of
selection (alpha), the FST coefficient averaged over populations (FST), and the allele frequencies
of each allele at that locus (Allele Freq).
SNP
Prob
log10(PO)
q-value
alpha
FST
Allele Freq
3478
0.992
2.105
0.004
1.765
0.204
C: 0.77 A: 0.23
6283
1.000
3.398
0.000
1.997
0.238
T: 0.52 C: 0.48
15077
0.934
1.154
0.025
1.633
0.190
A: 0.64 G: 0.36
13821
0.954
1.312
0.047
1.578
0.190
G: 0.83 A: 0.17