Molecular genetic status of Aleutian Canada Geese from Buldir and the Semidi Islands, Alaska

We conducted genetic analyses of Aleutian Canada Geese (Branta canadensis l eucopareia) from Buldir Island in the western Aleutians and the Semidi Isla nds in the eastern portion of their breeding range. We compared data from s even microsatellite DNA loci and 143 base pairs of the control region of mi tochondrial DNA from the two populations of Aleutian Canada Geese and anoth er small-bodied subspecies, the Cackling Canada Goose (B. c, minima) which nests in western Alaska. The widely separated island-nesting Aleutian geese were genetically more closely related to each other than to mainland-nesti ng small-bodied geese. The populations of Aleutian geese were genetically d ifferentiated from one another in terms of mitochondrial DNA haplotype and microsatellite allele frequencies, suggesting limited contemporary gene flo w and/or major shifts in gene frequency through genetic drift. The degree o f population genetic differentiation suggests that Aleutian Canada Goose po pulations could be considered separate management units. There was some evi dence of population bottlenecks, although we found no significant genetic e vidence of nonrandom mating or inbreeding.