Genomic assessment of a declining game bird reveals cryptic genetic
structure and insights for population management
Abstract
Population genomics applied to game species conservation can help
delineate management units, ensure appropriate harvest levels, and
identify populations needing genetic rescue to safeguard their adaptive
potential. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is rapidly declining in
much of the eastern USA due to a combination of forest maturation and
habitat fragmentation. More recently, mortality from West Nile Virus may
have affected connectivity of local populations; however, genetic
approaches have never explicitly investigated this issue. In this study,
we sequenced 54 individual low-coverage (~5X) grouse
genomes to characterize population structure and assess migration rates
across the landscape to identify potential barriers to gene flow.
Surprisingly, we identified two genomic clusters with no clear
geographic correlation, with large blocks of genomic differentiation
associated with chromosomes 4 and 20, likely due to chromosomal
inversions. After excluding these putative inversions from the data set,
we found weak but non-significant signals of population subdivision.
Estimated gene flow revealed reduced rates of migration in areas with
extensive habitat fragmentation, while areas with more habitat
continuity showed higher rates of genetic connectivity. Our findings
provide a benchmark for wildlife managers to compare and scale the
genetic diversity and structure of ruffed grouse populations in
Pennsylvania and across the eastern USA, as well as reveal unexpected
structural variation in the grouse genome that requires further study to
understand its possible effects on individual fitness and population
distribution.