ANALYSIS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN COMMON LOON GAVIA IMMER USING RAPD AND MITOCHONDRIAL RFLP TECHNIQUES

We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and restriction fragme nt length polymorphisms (RFLP) of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) g ene to evaluate the genetic diversity in common loon Gavia immer popul ations from two regions in the United States: New England (NE) and Mic higan (MI). RAPD analysis with 18 primers showed 74% polymorphism in N E and 50% in MI loons (similarity coefficient F = 0.92). Although no p opulation-specific markers were found, the frequencies of some RAPD ba nds varied between the two populations suggesting geographical differe nces. RFLP analyses with BamHI enzyme and a 307-bp mitochondrial cyt b gene showed four haplotypes in the NE loon samples and two in the MI samples. The mtDNA haplotype diversity was 0.74 for NE and 0.51 for MI loons, supporting the RAPD data that NE loons have greater genetic di versity than MI loons.