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Subspecies and units for conservation and management of the northern bobwhite in the eastern United States

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Abstract

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is a small game bird with sedentary lifestyle and has experienced population declines throughout most of its native distribution in the eastern United States. We investigated intraspecific genetic relationships among 14 local populations covering four putative subspecies (C. v. marilandicus, C. v. virginianus, C. v. mexicanus, and C. v. floridanus) in the United States. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed a small, but significant, genetic structure of northern bobwhite populations or subspecies in the eastern US. However, our results did not support current subspecies limits as distinct evolutionarily significant units, based on the amount of population genetic divergences and insufficient lineage sorting of mtDNA haplotypes among subspecies. Instead, our results suggest that C. v. virginianus, C. v. marilandicus, and C. v. mexicanus be merged into a single management unit, and C. v. floridanus be considered as another distinct unit for conservation and management.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to B. Bass, A. Burnett, J. Cook, B. Faircloth, B. Grossman, R. Hamrick, G. Joyner, J. Martin, R. Pierson, A. Staphenson, R. Stonebraker, C. Sisson, J. Thompson, M. Travis, and T. Valentine for their invaluable assistance obtaining samples. We would like to thank C. J. Nairn for his assistance in completing molecular work. Funding for this research was provided by the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, McIntire-Stennis GEO-100,136, Northeast Georgia Chapter of Quail Unlimited, and Bill Terrell Research Grant and Branch Howe Jr. Research Grant of the Georgia Ornithological Society. Additional support for the Gamebird Genetics Lab at the University of Georgia was provided by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Soo Hyung Eo & John P. Carroll

  2. Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    John P. Wares

  3. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Soo Hyung Eo

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  1. Soo Hyung Eo
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Correspondence to Soo Hyung Eo.

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Eo, S.H., Wares, J.P. & Carroll, J.P. Subspecies and units for conservation and management of the northern bobwhite in the eastern United States. Conserv Genet 11, 867–875 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-9926-9

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