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Variation in MHC class II B genes in marbled murrelets: implications for delineating conservation units
Author(s) -
VásquezCarrillo C.,
Friesen V.,
Hall L.,
Peery M. Z.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1111/acv.12089
Subject(s) - threatened species , biology , population , genetic drift , evolutionary biology , genetic diversity , genetic variation , allele , major histocompatibility complex , genetics , ecology , gene , demography , sociology , habitat
Conserving genetic variation is critical for maintaining the evolutionary potential and viability of a species. Genetic studies seeking to delineate conservation units, however, typically focus on characterizing neutral genetic variation and may not identify populations harboring local adaptations. Here, variation at two major histocompatibility complex ( MHC ) class II B genes was characterized in four populations of marbled murrelets B rachyramphus marmoratus , a threatened species in which little neutral genetic population structure has been detected. High diversity, as well as evidence of balancing selection, was detected in exon 2 of these genes. Genetic population structure based on MHC markers was uncorrelated to genetic structure estimated with neutral markers, suggesting that selection played a more important role in shaping population structure at these markers than genetic drift. A high proportion of alleles and inferred peptides were unique to a single population, with the A leutian I slands and southeast A laska having the highest richness of both. Murrelets sampled in O regon had low MHC exon 2 allele and inferred peptide richness, and were significantly differentiated from individuals sampled in the A leutian I slands based on the frequency of exon 2 alleles. In addition, murrelets sampled in O regon were differentiated from murrelets in both the A leutian I slands and southeast A laska based on inferred peptide frequencies, suggesting that the O regon population could be prioritized for conservation measures. More broadly, combining information from neutral and adaptive genetic markers can improve the delineation of conservation units in threatened species.