Relatedness and Nesting Dispersion within Breeding Populations of Greater White-Fronted Geese

• Published in: The Condor
• Main Authors: Fowler, Ada C., Eadie, John M., Ely, Craig R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2004
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Yukon; Pacific; Kuskokwim; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/106.3.600; http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/106/3/600/29712111/condor0600.pdf

Abstract We studied patterns of relatedness and nesting dispersion in female Pacific Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) in Alaska. Female Greater White-fronted Geese are thought to be strongly philopatric and are often observed nesting in close association with other females. Analysis of the distribution of nests on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in 1998 indicated that nests were significantly clumped. We tested the hypothesis that females in the same nest cluster would be closely related using estimates of genetic relatedness based on six microsatellite DNA loci. There was no difference in the mean relatedness of females in the same cluster compared to females found in different clusters. However, relatedness among females was negatively correlated with distance between their nests, and geese nesting within 50 m of one another tended to be more closely related than those nesting farther apart. Randomization tests revealed that pairs of related individuals (R > 0.45) were more likely to occur in the same cluster when analyzed at the scale of the entire study site. However, the pattern did not hold when restricted to pairs found within 500 m of each other. Our results indicate that nest clusters are not composed primarily of closely related females, but Greater White-fronted Geese appear to be sufficiently philopatric to promote nonrandom patterns of relatedness at a local scale. Parentesco y Dispersión de Nidos en Poblaciones Reproductivas de Anser albifrons frontalis Resumen. Estudiamos los patrones de parentesco y la dispersión de nidos en hembras de Anser albifrons frontalis en Alaska. Se piensa que las hembras de A. a. frontalis son fuertemente filopátricas y frecuentemente se las observa nidificando asociadas de modo cercano con otras hembras. El análisis de la distribución de los nidos en el Delta de Yukon-Kuskokwim en 1998 indicó que los nidos estuvieron significativamente agrupados. Evaluamos la hipótesis de que las hembras en el mismo grupo de nidos estarían cercanamente ...