Dissertation
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University of Veterinary Medicine Doctoral School of Veterinary Science Phylogeography and population genetics of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in the Carpathian Basin Ph.D. dissertation Edina Nemesházi 2017 University of Veterinary Medcine Doctoral School of Veterinary Science Budapest, Hungary 2017 Supervisor: .................................................... Dr. Szilvia Kövér, Ph.D. Department of Ecology University of Veterinary Medicine Supervisor Number of copies: 8. The serial number of the present copy is ___ . .................................................... Edina Nemesházi 2 Table of contents Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 6 Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 7 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 9 General introduction .....................................................................................................11 Sampling issues .....................................................................................................12 Population trends of white-tailed eagles in Europe .................................................13 Ecology of the white-tailed eagle ...........................................................................14 Aims of the dissertation ..........................................................................................16 I. Assessing reliability of a non-invasive DNA sampling method for resident white-tailed eagles ...............................................................................................17 I.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................17 I.2. Materials and methods .....................................................................................18 Addressing residents ............................................................................20 Age estimation from moulted feathers ..................................................20 I.3. Results .............................................................................................................21 Addressing residents ............................................................................21 Age estimation from moulted feathers ..................................................23 I.4. Discussion .......................................................................................................24 II. Natural and anthropogenic influences on the population structure of white- tailed eagles in the Carpathian Basin and central Europe ................................27 II.1. Introduction .....................................................................................................27 II.2. Materials and methods ....................................................................................29 Sampling and DNA extraction ...............................................................29 Microsatellite analyses of the European populations ............................30 Mitochondrial analyses in the Carpathian Basin population ..................33 Origin of the recolonized populations ....................................................33 3 II.3. Results ............................................................................................................34 Microsatellite analyses of the European populations ............................34 Mitochondrial analyses in the Carpathian Basin population ..................38 Origin of the recolonized populations ....................................................39 II.4. Discussion ......................................................................................................42 III. The effects of genetic relatedness on mate choice and territorial intrusions in a monogamous raptor .........................................................................................46 III.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................46 III.2. Materials and methods ...................................................................................48 Study area and sample collection .........................................................48 Individual identification..........................................................................49 Relatedness and mate choice...............................................................51 Nest site intrusions ...............................................................................51 III.3. Results ...........................................................................................................53 Individual identification..........................................................................53 Relatedness and mate choice...............................................................55 Nest site intrusions ...............................................................................56 III.4. Discussion .....................................................................................................58 IV. Genetic structure confirms female-biased natal dispersal in the white-tailed eagle population of the Carpathian Basin ..........................................................63 IV.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................63 IV.2. Materials and methods ..................................................................................64 IV.3. Results ..........................................................................................................67 IV.4. Discussion .....................................................................................................70 General conclusions and looking ahead .....................................................................73 Relevance for practical conservation biology .........................................................74 Relevance for veterinary science ...........................................................................74 Results new to science.................................................................................................76 References ....................................................................................................................77 4 The author’s publications ............................................................................................89 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................92 Appendices ...................................................................................................................94 AI: appendix for section I ......................................................................95 AII: appendix for section II ....................................................................97 AIII: appendix for section III ................................................................ 107 5 Abbreviations AMOVA analysis of molecular variance AR allelic richness CI confidence interval DDT dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane DNA deoxyribonucleic acid dNTP deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate FST fixation index h number of haplotypes hd haplotype diversity HE expected heterozygosity HO observed heterozygosity HWE Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium LD linkage disequilibrium LRr Lynch-Ritland relatedness MLr maximum likelihood relatedness ms microsatellite mt-hvr1 mitochondrial control DNA region hypervariable region 1 NDD natal dispersal distance PCBs polychlorinated biphenyls PID probability of identity WTE white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) π nucleotide diversity 6 Definitions Active nest This term is used here for WTE nests where visual signs of reparation or breeding attempt were observed in the year of sampling (e.g. Oehme 2003). Also referred to as ‘occupied nest’. Breeding dispersal Movements between an individual’s subsequent breeding territories. Floater Vagrant individual that owns no territory. Floaters are usually juveniles and have fundamental importance as future members of the breeding population. Genetic A species is assumed as genetically monogamous, if great majority of the monogamy offspring are fathered by the social mate of their mother. Note, that this term is different from social monogamy, which refers to persistence of social mating pairs, but does not consider the occurrence of extra-pair paternity. Haplotype Here this term refers to a cluster of single nucleotide polymorphisms inherited together. Hardy-Weinberg A population is at HWE, if mating is random, and neither mutation, nor se- equilibrium lection, nor drift, nor migration changes genotype frequencies. Then allele and genotype frequencies remain constant through generations. When concentrating on a given DNA locus, the diploid genotype frequencies can be calculated by the Hardy-Weinberg equation. Heterozigosity Refers to the proportion of heterozygotes at a given locus in a population (i.e. diploid individuals carrying two different alleles on their corresponding maternal and paternal chromosomes). Intruder Any individual attending at a territory, if it is not a member of the resident pair and is not the pair’s offspring from the same year. (Accordingly, an offspring of the breeding pair that hatched earlier and returned to the natal territory is also considered as