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Subtle genetic clustering among South Australian colonies of little penguins (Eudyptula minor)

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Abstract

Information on the extent of genetic differentiation among seabird populations is essential for conservation planning. Here we used, for the first time in little penguins (Eudyptula minor), a next generation sequencing approach to investigate population genetic structure, gene flow and inbreeding among eight colonies in South Australia. We found that Troubridge Island individuals were genetically distinct from the other sampled colonies, and that colonies on all islands were connected by moderate levels of gene flow possibly due to migration from the Kangaroo Island colonies. While further genetic sampling is needed, these data support the idea that South Australia may be a zone of subtle and rapid genetic change for little penguins.

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Data are deposited in the Flinders University data repository at https://doi.org/10.25957/5edf2eddcd327.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Evolutionary Biology Unit at the South Australian Museum for technical assistance. We thank Tim March for the bioinformatics. For collection of samples, we would like to thank Ikuko Tomo of the SA Museum, Katharina Peters, Anna Koetz, and all the volunteers involved in collecting the data. Special thanks to the Granite Island Penguin Centre manager, Dorothy Longden, for her help in collecting data on the captive penguins at the Granite Island Penguin Centre. We also wish to thank Martine Kinloch, Kym Lashmar and Alicia McArdle for their assistance on Kangaroo Island, and Chris Johnson for access to Troubridge Island. Finally, we thank Tony Flaherty and Sonia Kleindorfer for their continued support.

Funding

The project was funded by the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board and the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia. Permits This project was approved by the Flinders University Ethics Committee (E388) and supported by a scientific permit to conduct the research (Y26040).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001, Australia

    Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Amy Slender, Tessa Bradford, Scarlett S. Graf & Michael G. Gardner

  2. Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Tessa Bradford, Terry Bertozzi & Michael G. Gardner

  3. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Tessa Bradford & Terry Bertozzi

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  1. Diane Colombelli-Négrel
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Correspondence to Diane Colombelli-Négrel.

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Colombelli-Négrel, D., Slender, A., Bradford, T. et al. Subtle genetic clustering among South Australian colonies of little penguins (Eudyptula minor). Conserv Genet 21, 747–756 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-020-01284-4

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