Electronic versions

DOI

  • Joel Ralston
    St. Mary's College
  • Lydia Lorenc
    St. Mary's College
  • Melissa Montes
    St. Mary's College
  • William V Deluca
    University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Jeremy J Kirchman
    New York State Museum
  • Bradley K Woodworth
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • Stuart A MacKenzie
    Bird Studies Canada
  • Amy Newman
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • Hilary A Cooke
    Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
  • Nikole E Freeman
    Kansas State UniversityUniversity of Guelph, Ontario
  • A.O. Sutton
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • Lila Tauzer
    Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
  • D. Ryan Norris
    University of Guelph, Ontario
Migratory behaviors such as the timing and duration of migration are genetically inherited and can be under strong natural selection, yet we still know very little about the specific genes or molecular pathways that control these behaviors. Studies in candidate genes Clock and Adcyap1 have revealed that both of these loci can be significantly correlated with migratory behaviors in birds, though observed relationships appear to vary across species. We investigated geographic genetic structure of Clock and Adcyap1 in four populations of blackpoll warblers (Setophaga striata), a Neotropical–Nearctic migrant that exhibits geographic variation in migratory timing and duration across its boreal breeding distribution. Further, we used data on migratory timing and duration, obtained from light-level geolocator trackers to investigate candidate genotype–phenotype relationships at the individual level. While we found no geographic structure in either candidate gene, we did find evidence that candidate gene lengths are correlated with five of the six migratory traits. Maximum Clock allele length was significantly and negatively associated with spring arrival date. Minimum Adcyap1 allele length was significantly and negatively associated with spring departure date and positively associated with fall arrival date at the wintering grounds. Additionally, we found a significant interaction between Clock and Adcyap1 allele lengths on both spring and fall migratory duration. Adcyap1 heterozygotes also had significantly shorter migration duration in both spring and fall compared to homozygotes. Our results support the growing body of evidence that Clock and Adcyap1 allele lengths are correlated with migratory behaviors in birds.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8840-8855
JournalEcology and Evolution
Volume9
Issue number15
Early online date22 Jul 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2019
Externally publishedYes
View graph of relations