Molted feathers as DNA source for population genetic studies in waterbirds

CAROLINA ISABEL MIÑO; SÍLVIA NASSIF DEL LAMA

WATERBIRDS (DE LEON SPRINGS, FLA.)

The Waterbird Society

Lugar: Leon Springs, Florida; Año: 2009 vol. 32 p. 322 - 329

1524-4695

The determination of genetic parameters for most waterbird populations presents considerable challenges because these species frequently breed in inaccessible locations and this precludes capture of nesting pairs. The application of non-invasive sampling techniques, such as the collection of molted feathers in the field, could represent an appealing strategy to overcome some of the above cited problems. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of sampling molted feathers collected in Brazilian populations of the Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja, N = 94) and the Jabiru Stork (Jabiru mycteria; N = 10) for genetic studies. Each feather yielded high quality DNA with a concentration 1.25 times higher than that obtained with feathers from similar sized birds from other groups. Amplification of a 390-396 bp fragment for molecular sexing and 11 microsatellite loci was successful. The average percentage of positive PCRs (i.e. those that yielded products) among all Roseate Spoonbill loci and samples was 95.5%. We demonstrate that this sampling approach is suitable to gather genetic information in natural populations of these waterbirds and can be applied to other similar species.