Widespread genetic connectivity of feral pigeons across the Northeastern megacity.

ABSTRACT: Urbanization may restrict, facilitate, or have no effect on gene flow, depending on the organism and extent of urbanization. In human commensals, with high dispersal ability, urbanization can facilitate gene flow by providing continuous suitable habitat across a wide range. Additionally, suburban or rural areas with lower human population density may act as a barrier to gene flow for these human commensals. Spatial population genetic approaches provide a means to understand genetic connectivity across geographically expansive areas that encompass multiple metropolitan areas. Here, we examined the spatial genetic patterns of feral pigeons (Columba livia) living in cities in the eastern United States. We focused our sampling on the Northeastern megacity, which is a region covering six

SUBMITTER: Carlen E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7819573 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature