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Coexistence and population genetic structure of the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus and mute swan Cygnus olor in Lithuania and Latvia

  • Research Article
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Central European Journal of Biology

Abstract

Two closely related swan species, the mute swan Cygnus olor and the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus, were formerly allopatric throughout their breeding ranges, but during the last decades a sympatric distribution has become characteristic of these species in the Baltic Sea region. The whooper swan has gradually replaced the mute swan in many suitable habitats in Lithuania and Latvia. Marked differences in the genetic population structure of both species may partially explain the dominance of the whooper swan, as genetic population divergence can be a major factor affecting inter-specific competition. A homogenous genetic population structure was defined for mute swans breeding in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Breeding mute swans in this region are mostly of naturalised origin. A diverse population genetic structure characterizes whooper swans breeding in Lithuania and Latvia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, LT 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Dalius Butkauskas, Saulius Švažas, Julius Morkūnas, Aniolas Sruoga & Vitas Stanevičius

  2. Department of Biology, Vytautas Magnus University, LT 44404, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Vaida Tubelytė, Aniolas Sruoga, Algimantas Paulauskas & Vykintas Baublys

  3. Natural History Museum of Latvia, LV 1050, Riga, Latvia

    Dmitrijs Boiko

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  1. Dalius Butkauskas
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  2. Saulius Švažas
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Correspondence to Dalius Butkauskas.

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Butkauskas, D., Švažas, S., Tubelytė, V. et al. Coexistence and population genetic structure of the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus and mute swan Cygnus olor in Lithuania and Latvia. cent.eur.j.biol. 7, 886–894 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0065-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0065-9

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