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Museum genomics provide insight into the extinction of a specialist North American warbler species

Byerly, Paige A.; Kearns, Anna M.; Welch, Andreanna; Ochirbat, Margad-Erdene; Marra, Peter P.; Wilson, Amy; Campana, Michael G.; Fleischer, Robert C.

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Authors

Paige A. Byerly

Anna M. Kearns

Margad-Erdene Ochirbat

Peter P. Marra

Amy Wilson

Michael G. Campana

Robert C. Fleischer



Abstract

Museum genomics provide an opportunity to investigate population demographics of extinct species, especially valuable when research prior to extinction was minimal. The Bachman’s warbler (Vermivora bachmanii) is hypothesized to have gone extinct due to loss of its specialized habitat. However, little is known about other potential contributing factors such as natural rarity or changes to connectivity following habitat fragmentation. We examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and genome-wide SNPs using specimens collected from breeding and migration sites across the range of the Bachman’s warbler. We found no signals of strong population structuring across the breeding range of Bachman’s warblers in both mtDNA and genome-wide SNPs. Thus, long-term population isolation did not appear to be a significant contributor to the extinction of the Bachman’s warbler. Instead, our findings support the theory that Bachman’s warblers underwent a rapid decline likely driven by habitat destruction, which may have been exacerbated by the natural rarity, habitat specificity and low genetic diversity of the species.

Citation

Byerly, P. A., Kearns, A. M., Welch, A., Ochirbat, M.-E., Marra, P. P., Wilson, A., Campana, M. G., & Fleischer, R. C. (2024). Museum genomics provide insight into the extinction of a specialist North American warbler species. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 17047. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67595-5

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 12, 2024
Online Publication Date Jul 24, 2024
Publication Date Jul 24, 2024
Deposit Date Jul 31, 2024
Publicly Available Date Jul 31, 2024
Journal Scientific Reports
Electronic ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher Nature Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 1
Article Number 17047
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67595-5
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2614924

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