A Population Genetic Assessment of the Extant Subspecies of Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima) on the Atlantic Coast
Date
2018-08
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Austin Peay State University
Abstract
Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) are tidal salt marsh endemic passerines found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. At present there has not been a modern genetic assessment of the Atlantic Coast clade, which consists of two extant subspecies: the Northern Seaside Sparrow, "A. m. maritima" (Wilson 1811), and MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrow, "A. m. macgillivraii" (Audubon 1870). The currently described ranges of these subspecies are from Massachusetts to North Carolina (Northern) and North Carolina to Florida (MacGillivray’s). We analyzed genetic (microsatellite and mitochondria) data from 400 Seaside Sparrows from Connecticut to Florida (2000 – 2017). Sampling efforts were focused (1) near the currently defined geographic boundary between the subspecies (Dare County, NC), and (2) the type locality for MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrow (Charleston, SC). Bayesian cluster analysis (program STRUCTURE) indicates three genetically distinct population segments, which were recovered regardless of how the data were subsampled. The population in Charleston, SC was the most strongly differentiated population, and this population also harbored a unique mitochondrial (mtDNA) “signature,” likely reflecting long-standing isolation. These results indicate discordance with the currently described ranges of the subspecies of Seaside Sparrow, and provide grounds for the consideration of separate management plans for the three populations.
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