Coexistence and population genetic structure of the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus and mute swan Cygnus olor in Lithuania and Latvia

作者：Dalius Butkauskas, Saulius Švažas, Vaida Tubelytė, Julius Morkūnas, Aniolas Sruoga, Dmitrijs Boiko, Algimantas Paulauskas, Vitas Stanevičius, Vykintas Baublys · 发表于：Open Life Sciences · 年份：2012 · DOI：10.2478/s11535-012-0065-9 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Avian ecology and behavior、Animal Behavior and Reproduction、Fish Ecology and Management Studies

Abstract Two closely related swan species, the mute swan Cygnus olor and the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus, were formerly allopatric throughout their breeding ranges, but during the last decades a sympatric distribution has become characteristic of these species in the Baltic Sea region. The whooper swan has gradually replaced the mute swan in many suitable habitats in Lithuania and Latvia. Marked differences in the genetic population structure of both species may partially explain the dominance of the whooper swan, as genetic population divergence can be a major factor affecting inter-specific competition. A homogenous genetic population structure was defined for mute swans breeding in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Breeding mute swans in this region are mostly of naturalised origin. A diverse population genetic structure characterizes whooper swans breeding in Lithuania and Latvia.