| Titre : | Genetic similarity among Eurasian subspecies of boreal owls Aegolius funereus |
| Auteurs : | N. E. Koopman, Auteur ; D. B. McDonald, Auteur ; G. D. Hayward, Auteur ; K. Eldegard, Auteur ; G. A. Sonerud, Auteur ; S. G. Sermach, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Journal of Avian Biology (36(3) MAY 2005) |
| Article en page(s) : | 179-183 |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Résumé : | Boreal owls Aegolizis funereus (referred to as Tengmalm's owls in Europe) breed in boreal forests throughout the Holarctic region and in high-elevation subalpine forests further south. They are currently classified as seven subspecies; six found throughout Eurasia, and one in North America. The geographic distribution of boreal owls ill North America and Eurasia is similar, as are their patterns of dispersal and irruption. Because a recent genetic study of boreal owls in North America found very little genetic differentiation among widely disparate locations, we expected that boreal owls in Eurasia similarly would have very little genetic differentiation. Using seven microsatellite markers. we analyzed genetic samples from 275 boreal owls ill North America, 36 in Norway. and five in eastern Russia. We found no detectable genetic differentiation between Norwegian and Russian owls, but notable differentiation between North American and Eurasian owls. Low intra-continental genetic differentiation likely results from high rates of long-distance dispersal among subpopulations of boreal owls. In light of these results, we recommend further genetic sampling of boreal Owls throughout Eurasia in order to determine whether six separate subspecies here are warranted. |



