title: Population genetic study of mitochondrial DNA in Roseate spoonbill (Aves; Platalea ajaja) breeding colonies from the Pantanal wetlands, Brazil.
abstract: Five breeding colonies of the Roseate spoonbill (Aves: Platalea ajaja) from two Brazilian wetland areas (Pantanal and Taim marshes) were sampled, and domain I of the mitochondrial DNA control region (483 bp) was sequenced in 50 birds. The average haplotype diversity (h = 0.75, s = 0.071) and average nucleotide diversity (pi = 0.004, s = 0.003) were evaluated, and nonsignificant differences were found among the colonies studied. The lack of differentiation among breeding colonies revealed by AMOVA analysis was explained either as a consequence of high gene flow or recent expansion. The significantly negative results of the neutrality tests (Fu's F ( s ) = -23.271, P < 0.01; Tajima's D = -1.941, P < 0.01) associated with the star shape of the haplotype tree and mismatch distribution data are evidence supporting the idea that these populations underwent a recent demographic expansion in the Pantanal region. The average time since the expansion is estimated to be 25,773 years, and this agrees with a period of increased moisture that occurred during the last glacial period.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sao Carlos, 13565-905, SP, Brazil. mateushenrique@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Mateus Henrique
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Iara Freitas
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Silvia Nassif
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Del Lama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001938:Brazil; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial