GENETIC DIVERSITY OF mtDNA IN THE VOLGA BLACK KITE POPULATION (MILVUS MIGRANS BODDAERT, 1783)

Abstract

Background. Black kite (Milvus migrans Boddaert, 1783) is a common diurnal bird of prey in Volga Region. Kites are very conservative in a choice of places for nesting and usually use the same nest for severally ears. M. migrans rarely built new nest.On the territory of Volga Region black kite forms stable migratory populations which due to nesting conservatism are characterized by constancy of individuals’ spatial distribution. This species of diurnal birds of prey is a convenient model for study of population polymorphism. Purpose of article is studying of polymorphism in black kite’s Volga population basing on analysis of mtDNA control region variability data. Materials and methods. Sample of probes were collected in a black kite’s Volga population during field studies in 2017–2019 using noninvasive methods. Sample includes 47 probes of feathers, from 29 of them DNA was obtain. For genetic analysis fragments of hyper variable control region of mtDNA (357bp) were used. Sequencing (n = 25) was carry out with ABI3500 (Applied Biosystems) sequencer. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity was studied in DnaSP 5.10.01.For reconstruction of phylogenetic relations methods of maximum likelihood and nearest-neighbor were implement educing MEGA X and MrBayes3.2.7. Median joining of mitochondrial haplotypes was constructed in PopART using TCS algorithm. Also 5 similar mtDNA region haplotypes of Black kites from South Spain population, 10 haplotypes of Red kites from European population and 2 haplotypes of Red kite’s subspecies M. milvus fasciicauda were analyzed. Significance level for all statistical tests is p<0.05. Results. Haplotype's diversity (h = 16) revealed in Black kite’s European population is wide in its range (Hd = 0.924) and has some regional features (Spanish population – h = 5, Volga population – h = 14). Probably diversity will increase with increasing of sample size. Maximum level of mean evolution divergence (p, distance) for pairs of sequences was revealed in European Black kite haplogroup (Mmg) – 1.4±0.4 %. Estimation of mean evolution distance between haplogroups shows maximum between M. migrans and M. milvus: Mmg/Mml – 2.9±0.9 %, M. migrans and M. milvus fasciicauda: Mmg/Mmf – 3.2±1.1 %. Results of mean evolution diversity (p) in haplogroups show low level of differentiation inside groups. Conclusion. Divergence and diversity analysis of mtDNA control region haplotypes did not reveal subdivision of genetic structure in European black kite area but presence of subdivided genetic lines is obvious. With increasing of sample size by coverage of new territories within area revealing of subdivision in genetic structure is quite expected.

Keywords

• milvus migrans
• control region
• mtdna
• haplotype diversity