title: Y chromosome haplotype distribution of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Northern Europe provides insight into population history and recovery.
abstract: High-resolution, male-inherited Y-chromosomal markers are a useful tool for population genetic analyses of wildlife species, but to date have only been applied in this context to relatively few species besides humans. Using nine Y-chromosomal STRs and three Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphism markers (Y-SNPs), we studied whether male gene flow was important for the recent recovery of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Northern Europe, where the species declined dramatically in numbers and geographical distribution during the last centuries but is expanding now. We found 36 haplotypes in 443 male extant brown bears from Sweden, Norway, Finland and northwestern Russia. In 14 individuals from southern Norway from 1780 to 1920, we found two Y chromosome haplotypes present in the extant population as well as four Y chromosome haplotypes not present among the modern samples. Our results suggested major differences in genetic connectivity, diversity and structure between the eastern and the western populations in Northern Europe. In the west, our results indicated that the recovered population originated from only four male lineages, displaying pronounced spatial structuring suggestive of large-scale population size increase under limited male gene flow within the western subpopulation. In the east, we found a contrasting pattern, with high haplotype diversity and admixture. This first population genetic analysis of male brown bears shows conclusively that male gene flow was not the main force of population recovery.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, NIBIO - Svanhovd, 9925, Svanvik, Norway.|Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schregel
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, NIBIO - Svanhovd, 9925, Svanvik, Norway.
authors.forename: Hans Geir
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Eiken
authors.affiliation: Randsfjordmuseene Ltd., Kongevegen 92, 2770, Jaren, Norway.
authors.forename: Finn Audun
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Grøndahl
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Wales, UK.|Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2340-1726
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hailer
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Physiology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, 90014, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Jouni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aspi
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Institute, P.O. Box 16, 96301, Rovaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilpo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kojola
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Science, 185910, Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tirronen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Science, 185910, Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Danilov
authors.affiliation: Pinezhsky Strict Nature Reserve, Pervomayskaja 123a, 164610, Pinega, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rykov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Komi Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Science, 016761, Syktvkar, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poroshin
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.|Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janke
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Ås, Norway.|Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Jon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Swenson
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, NIBIO - Svanhovd, 9925, Svanvik, Norway.
authors.forename: Snorre B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hagen
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D005387:Finland; D051456:Gene Flow; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D009664:Norway; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012426:Russia; D013548:Sweden; D001503:Ursidae / Q000235:genetics*; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Y-SNP; Y-STR; gene flow; haplogroups; haplotypes; male dispersal