title: Three Molecular Markers Show No Evidence of Population Genetic Structure in the Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae).
abstract: Assessment of genetic diversity and connectivity between regions can inform conservation managers about risk of inbreeding, potential for adaptation and where population boundaries lie. The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is a threatened species in northern Australia, occupying the savannah woodlands of the biogeographically complex monsoon tropics. We present the most comprehensive population genetic analysis of diversity and structure the Gouldian finch using 16 microsatellite markers, mitochondrial control region and 3,389 SNPs from genotyping-by-sequencing. Mitochondrial diversity is compared across three related, co-distributed finches with different conservation threat-statuses. There was no evidence of genetic differentiation across the western part of the range in any of the molecular markers, and haplotype diversity but not richness was lower than a common co-distributed species. Individuals within the panmictic population in the west may be highly dispersive within this wide area, and we urge caution when interpreting anecdotal observations of changes to the distribution and/or flock sizes of Gouldian finch populations as evidence of overall changes to the population size of this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Peri E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2057-1973
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: West
authors.affiliation: Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Adam P A
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Cardilini
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennalee A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Institute of Conservation Biology and Environmental Management, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.|Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Kimberley L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Maute
authors.affiliation: Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Legge
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brazill-Boast
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lee A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rollins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D046369:Finches / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide