Establishing a genetic system to distinguish between domestic Mallards, Pacific Black Ducks and their hybrids
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Establishing a genetic system to distinguish between domestic Mallards, Pacific Black Ducks and their hybrids A. Taysom • J. Johnson • P.-J. Guay
Received: 6 September 2013 / Accepted: 23 September 2013 / Published online: 4 October 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract Dabbling ducks are subject to many threatening processes. Hybridisation with introduced Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) is a threat that is commonly overlooked. Mallards, both domestic and wild, have been introduced in Australia and New Zealand. While hybridisation with Mallards caused significant decline in the New Zealand populations of Pacific Black (Grey) Ducks (Anas superciliosa), the degree of hybridisation between Mallard and the Pacific Black Duck in Australia is currently unknown, largely because hybrid backcrosses are difficult to visually identify. We screened 27 cross-amplifying waterfowl microsatellite markers and developed a set of 9 markers that can be used for genotyping and assignment tests to identify cryptic hybrids. Assignment tests, performed with the program Structure 2.3.4, had a 99 % likelihood that specimens of a known species (Mallard or Pacific Black Duck) were assigned to the correct group. The system was applied used to confirm the hybrid status of two putative hybrids identified phenotypically. The successful application of this system demonstrates its potential use in
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12686-013-0054-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. A. Taysom (&) J. Johnson P.-J. Guay Applied Ecology Research Group and Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, St Albans Campus, PO Box 14428, Melbourne MC, VIC 8001, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
determining the rate of hybridisation between introduced Mallards and Pacific Black Ducks throughout Australia.
Introduction The Mallard, native to the northern hemisphere, is known to hybridise with various other dabbling duck species (reviewed in Guay et al. In Press). Mallards have been introduced to many foreign countries as game and ornamental birds where they encounter, hybridise and consequently threaten many native dabbling duck species (Guay et al. In Press). In New Zealand, introduced Mallards have hybridised with the native Pacific Black (Grey) Duck (Anas superciliosa) to the extent that the latter is now considered endangered. Unlike Mallards introduced to New Zealand that were of wild origin, introduced Mallards remaining in Australia today are typically of domestic origin and have not yet colonised the whole country (Guay et al. In Press). Due to the domestic ancestry of Mallards in Australia, hybridisation between Mallards and the Pacific Black Duck was originally believed to be restricted to urban areas, where domestic Mallards are prevalent (reviewed in Guay et al. In Press). Until now, Pacific Black Duck-Mallard hybrids have been identified phe
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