Genetic differentiation in Sichuan jay (Perisoreus internigrans) and itssibling species Siberian jay (P. infaustus)

• The Pleistocene ice age and recent forest fragmentation have both played a significant role in shaping the population geneticvariation of boreal coniferous species in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and Eurasian coniferous forests. The Sichuan jay isone of the least know endemic bird species in QTP coniferous forests in western China while its sibling species, the SiberianJay, is widespread within the coniferous forests in northern Eurasia. Here we used 11 microsatellite markers to assay geneticdiversity across 58 Sichuan jay samples from China and 205 Siberian jay samples from Sweden and Russia. Results showedthree distinct genetic clusters from the Sichuan jay sampling. Furthermore, the pair-wise FST values indicated high geneticdifferentiation not only among the two species but also between Swedish and Russian Siberian jay populations. What ismore, a pattern of isolation by distance was found among the analyzed populations. Our study suggests that targeted

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Genetik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Genetics (hsv//eng)

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Skogsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Forest Science (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Coniferous forests

Microsatellites

Genetic diferentiation

Sichuan jay

IBD

Animal Ecology

Zooekologi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)