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 determining the rate of hybridisation between introduced Mallards and Pacific Black Ducks throughout Australia.
References
Boutin-Ganache I, Raposo M, Raymond M, Deschepper CF (2001) M13-tailed primers improve the readability and usability of microsatellite analyses performed with two different allele-sizing methods. Biotechniques 31:24–27
Bruford MW, Hanotte O, Brookfield JFY, Burke T (1992) Single locus and multi-locus fingerprinting (ed. Hoelzel AR) IRL Press, Oxford, pp. 227–229
Guay P -J, Taysom A, Robinson R, Tracey JP (In Press) Hybridisation between Mallards and native dabbling ducks: causes, consequences and management. Pac Conserv Biol
Prichard JK, Stephens M, Donnelly P (2000) Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data. Genetics 155:945–959
Williams CL, Brust RC, Fendley TT, Tiller GR, Rhodes OE (2005) A comparison of hybridization between Mottled Ducks (Anas fulvigula) and Mallards (A. platyrhynchos) in Florida and South Carolina using microsatellite DNA analysis. Conserv Genet 6:445–453
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided by Birdlife Australia—Victoria, Birdlife Australia, the Australian Bird Study Association and the M. A. Ingram Trust Fund. We would also like to thank the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries and Parks Victoria in providing assistance when collecting hunter shot samples from the field.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taysom, A., Johnson, J. & Guay, PJ. Establishing a genetic system to distinguish between domestic Mallards, Pacific Black Ducks and their hybrids. Conservation Genet Resour 6, 197–199 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-013-0054-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-013-0054-y