The biogeography of Gentoo Penguins ( Pygoscelis papua)
Gentoo Penguins ( Pygoscelis papua (J.R. Forster 1781)) are defined morphologically as a single species with a northern and southern subspecies. Differences in nuptial displays and particularly mating calls, however, suggest isolation among island archipelagos of different ocean basins. We thus aske...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z2012-016 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/z2012-016 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z2012-016 |
| Summary: | Gentoo Penguins ( Pygoscelis papua (J.R. Forster 1781)) are defined morphologically as a single species with a northern and southern subspecies. Differences in nuptial displays and particularly mating calls, however, suggest isolation among island archipelagos of different ocean basins. We thus asked whether genetic divergence of populations could be confirmed using molecular markers. A phylogenetic tree was constructed from a sample of 110 Gentoo Penguins and 58 haplotypes from the control region of the mitochondrial DNA. Reanalyses of historical data on morphology were conducted to construct additional phylogenetic trees for comparison. In agreement with differences in mating calls, the phylogenetic tree that was based on mitochondrial DNA showed a deep division between populations in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The current systematic division into two subspecies based on morphology was not supported. The division between populations in the Indian and Atlantic oceans was great enough to justify taxonomic revision, with at least three distinct clades: two in the respective sub-Antarctic and Antarctic zones of the Atlantic Ocean, and a deeply divergent and unnamed third clade in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. In contrast to more pelagic species like Rockhopper Penguins ( Eudyptes chrysocome (J.R. Forster, 1781)), the restricted coastal foraging ranges of Gentoo Penguins and the distances among isolated oceanic archipelagos could explain the distribution of genetically differentiated populations. |
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