Genetic insights into the range expansion of the Cattle Egret (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae) in Brazil and population differentiation between the native and colonised areas

MIÑO, CAROLINA ISABEL; CRISTIANA TRUJILU GERONIMO; CARLOS CONGRAINS CASTILLO; ISABEL A. S. BONATELLI; TALITA ALVARENGA VALDES; BRUNO ACUÑA LAROCA; DEL LAMA, SÍLVIA NASSIF

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2022

0024-4066

Bubulcus ibis ibis expanded its range by flying over the Atlantic Ocean from Africa or Europe to South America. To provide insights into the source of migrant birds, we genotyped Cattle Egret sampled in Central and southern Africa (n = 129, 13 sites, five countries) and Brazil (n = 166, six sites) at 14 microsatellites. Expected heterozygosity was high in all colonies, but the significantly lower in Brazilian samples. Population-genetic analyses based on different assumptions concurrently significant genetic differentiation between Brazil and Africa. The genetic homogeneity among African populations did not enable us to identify the source of the invasive birds. Among Brazilian populations, the highest proportion of the African allelic ancestry was found in Fernando de Noronha. This archipelago in the northeastern coast of Brazil could be an important stopover site for migrating birds coming from Africa. Bayesian demographic analyses supported population growth in Africa with subsequent expansion to Brazil and migration from Africa to Brazil at the time of colonisation. We discuss our findings in light of the previous colonization trajectories suggested by meterological models and of the anthropogenic changes that may promote the expansion of this egret in Brazil.