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Using molecular genetic information to guide population management can improve the sustainability of species in captivity. However, empirical population genetics has not been commonly applied to species management programs in zoos. One limitation may be the availability of genetic resources (e.g., markers, primers, etc.) for species held in zoos. To assess the extent to which species held in zoos have been studied using population genetics in the wild, we conducted a systematic literature review of close to 8,000 papers. We synthesized information on the availability and scale of population genetics studies across amphibian, bird, mammal, and reptile species held in zoos, and discussed their potential for informing ex situ management. We found that more than half of the species in zoos (52%) already have some genetic markers described in the literature specific for them, or a congeneric species, that could be further developed to aid the management of zoo populations, and the accumulation of these resources has been steady over the past decades. Furthermore, the proportion of species with genetic resources is even higher (62%) for species that are being managed through a formal breeding program in zoos. Our study provides encouraging results for captive program managers interested in integrating population genetics into ex situ management strategies.

Wildflower seeds have been distributed by zoos and other organizations to facilitate native plant gardening and promote pollinator conservation, but the effectiveness of these campaigns has not bee...

Animal populations are often limited by food availability, particularly during the breeding season. In birds, food limitation can impact several components of the reproductive cycle, including the timing of reproduction and reproductive output. Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758) have experienced a population decline over the past 40 years in North America that is thought to be related to changes in prey availability. We monitored Barn Swallow reproductive behaviour and prey availability throughout two breeding seasons at 10 sites in Ontario, Canada, to test the hypothesis that limited prey availability during the breeding season affected reproductive behaviour. We found no relationship between food availability and number of eggs laid or number of young fledged. Neither did we observe higher rates of second brooding or more pairs nesting at breeding sites with higher food availability. Barn Swallows did not time their reproductive effort to maximize prey availability during the nesting period, but any mismatch in phenology of prey and bird reproduction at a breeding site was not associated with lower reproductive success. The results of this study did not support our hypothesis and suggest that Barn Swallow reproductive behaviour was not negatively affected by limited prey availability on the breeding grounds.

While some species thrive in urban areas, many are absent from such environments. Those that are successful often have high behavioural flexibility that allows them to exploit new niches in a human-modified landscape. Northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) is an endangered bat species rarely identified in urban areas, though it is unclear whether this is due to absence or difficulties in surveying. We investigated the ecology of a population of northern myotis within Canada’s largest conurbation, including reproductive status, roosting preference, and movements. Using capture surveys, we confirmed the presence of reproductive females and healthy juveniles over two seasons. Using radio telemetry and acoustic surveys, we identified a cluster of tree roosts in the centre of the forest, and foraging areas concentrated around waterways within the bounds of the forest. These observations suggest the roosting and movement ecology of this population is similar to that observed for this species in rural environments, despite the urban surroundings. Our results suggest that northern myotis is not a synurbic species but can occur within urbanized environments when suitable habitat is available. We suggest that large forest patches with mature, interior forest cover are likely to be an important resource for northern myotis, and they will be vulnerable to the loss or fragmentation of these features in rapidly urbanizing landscapes. These findings are highly relevant to the ecology and preservation of northern myotis and present a case for greater consideration of this species in urban forests.

The vast number of species threatened with extinction, coupled with the limited resources to support them, results in the need to prioritize species for conservation action. Similarly, zoo collection managers must prioritize species for inclusion at their institutions, which are also limited by space and resources. While conservation status is one factor considered by zoos, weight is also given to qualitative features and practical considerations when evaluating the fit of different species. Resultantly, the species prioritized by zoos have limited overlap with those prioritized for conservation. Several recent studies have highlighted that the majority of species maintained in zoos are ranked globally as least concern. Given the centrality of conservation to the modern mission of zoos, there is value in identifying clear connections between non-threatened species in zoos and the roles they can play in conservation. Surrogate species approaches have been used in many instances to facilitate indirect conservation, and several distinctive types of surrogacy have been formally described. The aim of this study is to define a novel form of species surrogacy (i.e., "proxy species") that draws utility from non-threatened species maintained in zoos. A proxy species is here defined as a non-threatened species managed ex situ that can be used as a flagship for a related threatened species that is morphologically similar but not otherwise represented in zoos. The benefits of this approach and opportunities for its application are here reviewed. This concept will provide opportunities to enhance the value of pre-existing zoo collections, and ultimately, support conservation objectives.

Aerial insectivores are highly mobile predators that feed on diverse prey items that have highly variable distributions. As such, investigating the diet, prey selection and prey availability of aerial insectivores can be challenging. In this study, we used an integrated DNA barcoding method to investigate the diet and food supply of Barn Swallows, an aerial insectivore whose North American population has declined over the past 40 yr. We tested the hypotheses that Barn Swallows are generalist insectivores when provisioning their young and select prey based on size. We predicted that the diets of nestlings would contain a range of insect taxa but would be biased towards large prey items and that the diet of nestlings would change as prey availability changed. We collected insects using Malaise traps at 10 breeding sites and identified specimens using standard DNA barcoding. The sequences from these insect specimens were used to create a custom reference database of prey species and their relative sizes for our study area. We identified insect prey items from nestling fecal samples by using high-throughput DNA sequencing and comparing the sequences to our custom reference database. Barn Swallows fed nestlings prey items from 130 families representing 13 orders but showed selection for larger prey items that were predominantly from 7 dipteran families. Nestling diet varied both within and between breeding seasons as well as between breeding sites. This dietary flexibility suggests that Barn Swallows are able to adjust their provisioning to changing prey availability on the breeding grounds when feeding their nestlings. Our study demonstrates the utility of custom reference databases for linking the abundance and size of insect prey in the habitat with prey consumed when employing molecular methods for dietary analysis.

Flycatchers in the genus Empidonax are among the most difficult avian taxonomic groups to identify to species. Observers often rely on calls or songs in the field or detailed morphometrics in the hand to identify species. In January and February 2013, we twice captured an Empidonax flycatcher at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Virginia. After being unable to identify the flycatcher to species level using morphometrics and photographs, we extracted DNA from two tail feathers collected during the second encounter to identify the individual genetically. Comparison of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) with reference sequences in the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) suggested that the specimen had a >99.8% probability of placement as a Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri). Additional comparisons of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) to reference sequences in GenBank, however, suggested that the specimen was a Pine Flycatcher (Empidonax affinis), a species not represented in BOLD and confined geographically to a small area in Mexico and Guatemala. After analyzing both COI and ND2 from additional vouchered specimens, the bird caught in Virginia was determined to be a Dusky Flycatcher. We also suspect that some of the sequences in GenBank might derive from incorrectly identified specimens or otherwise could represent overlooked pseudogenes. Because the putative identification, based on GenBank sequences, would have represented the first record of Pine Flycatcher from the United States, our results reinforce the need for carefully vetted and taxonomically comprehensive molecular databases to allow definitive conclusions about sample identity. Further molecular phylogeographic review of this genus is warranted to resolve haplotype ambiguities.

The barcode of life project has assembled a tremendous number of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences. Although these sequences were gathered to develop a DNA-based system for species identification, it has been suggested that further biological inferences may also be derived from this wealth of data. Recurrent selective sweeps have been invoked as an evolutionary mechanism to explain limited intraspecific COI diversity, particularly in birds, but this hypothesis has not been formally tested. In this study, I collated COI sequences from previous barcoding studies on birds and tested them for evidence of selection. Using this expanded data set, I re-examined the relationships between intraspecific diversity and interspecific divergence and sampling effort, respectively. I employed the McDonald-Kreitman test to test for neutrality in sequence evolution between closely related pairs of species. Because amino acid sequences were generally constrained between closely related pairs, I also included broader intra-order comparisons to quantify patterns of protein variation in avian COI sequences. Lastly, using 22 published whole mitochondrial genomes, I compared the evolutionary rate of COI against the other 12 protein-coding mitochondrial genes to assess intragenomic variability. I found no conclusive evidence of selective sweeps. Most evidence pointed to an overall trend of strong purifying selection and functional constraint. The COI protein did vary across the class Aves, but to a very limited extent. COI was the least variable gene in the mitochondrial genome, suggesting that other genes might be more informative for probing factors constraining mitochondrial variation within species.

Nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes, or “numts”, are nonfunctional copies of mitochondrial genes that have been translocated to the nuclear genome. Numts have been used to study differences in mutation rates between the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, but have also been implicated as troublesome for phylogenetic studies and DNA-based species identification (i.e., DNA barcoding). In this study, a suspected numt discovered during a study of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) diversity in North American birds was targeted and sequenced from tyrant flycatchers (family: Tyrannidae). In total, the numt was found in five taxa representing two genera. Substitution rates were compared between COI and numt sequences. None of the numt sequences harboured stop codons nor frameshift mutations, but phylogenetic analysis revealed they had accumulated more amino acid substitutions than the mitochondrial COI sequences. Mitochondrial COI appeared to be preferentially amplified in most cases, but methods for numt detection are discussed for cases like this where sequences lack obvious features for identification. Because of its persistence across a broad taxonomic lineage, this numt could form a valuable model system for studying evolution in numts. The full size of the numt and its location within the nuclear genome are yet to be determined.

This study investigates the source species for feathers incorporated into two Comanche artifacts known as hi kodako. We attempted to determine the originating species using a molecular approach–specifically DNA barcodes–because the feathers were modified in appearance. We tried three different DNA extraction methods on feathers from one complete hi kodako and a remnant feather from a second artifact, each more than 100 years old. The silica membrane extraction method was most successful in this study. While tradition holds that only corvid feathers should be used, our results suggest that hi kodako are actually composed of feathers from multiple species, which in this case included ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), and northern raven (Corvus corax). This information bears important cultural significance and provides a greater degree of accuracy to the historic ethno-ornithological record.

Mitochondrial genomes show wide variation in their GC content. This study examines the correlations between mitochondrial genome-wide shifts in this feature and a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in animals, plants, and fungi. Because this approach utilizes COI as a sentinel, analyzing sequences from repositories such as GenBank and the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) can provide rapid insights into nucleotide usage. With this approach we probe nucleotide composition in a variety of taxonomic groups and establish the degree to which mitochondrial GC content varies among them. We then focus on two groups in particular, the classes Insecta and Aves, which possess the highest and lowest GC content, respectively. We establish that the sentinel approach provides strong indicators of mitochondrial GC content within divergent phyla (R values = 0.86-0.95, p < 0.001, in test cases) and provide evidence that selective pressures acting on GC content extend to noncoding regions of the plant and fungal mitochondrial genomes. We demonstrate that there is considerable variation in GC content of the mitochondrial genome within phyla and at each taxonomic level, leading to a substantial overlap zone in GC content between chordates and invertebrates. Our results provide a novel insight into the mitochondrial genome composition of animals, plants, and fungi and advocate this sentinel technique for the detection of rapid alterations in nucleotide usage as a measure of mitochondrial genome biodiversity.

Estimating the age of species or their component lineages based on sequence data is crucial for many studies in avian evolutionary biology. Although calibrations of the molecular clock in birds have been performed almost exclusively using cytochrome b (cyt b), they are commonly extrapolated to other mitochondrial genes. The existence of a large, standardized cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) library generated as a result of the DNA barcoding initiative provides the opportunity to obtain a calibration for this mitochondrial gene in birds. In this study we compare the evolutionary rate of COI relative to cyt b across ten different avian orders. We obtained divergence estimates for both genes from nearly 300 phylogenetically independent pairs of species through the analysis of almost 5000 public sequences. For each pair of species we calculated the difference in divergence between COI and cyt b. Our results indicate that COI evolves on average 14% slower than cyt b, but also reveal considerable variation both among and within avian orders, precluding the use of this value as a standard adjustment for the COI molecular clock for birds. Our findings suggest that this variation is partially explained by a clear negative relationship between the difference in divergence in these genes and the age of species. Distances for cyt b are higher than those for COI for closely related species, but the values become similar as the divergence between the species increases. This appears to be the result of a stronger pattern of negative time‐dependency in the rate of cyt b than in that of COI, a difference that could be related to lower functional constraints on a small number of sites in cyt b that allow it to initially accumulate mutations more rapidly than COI. Fil: Lavinia Oblanca, Pablo Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Kerr, Kevin C. R.. Toronto Zoo; Canadá Fil: Tubaro, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Hebert, Paul David Neil. University of Guelph; Canadá Fil: Lijtmaer, Dario Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina

DNA barcoding seeks to assemble a standardized reference library for DNA-based identification of eukaryotic species. The utility and limitations of this approach need to be tested on well-characterized taxonomic assemblages. Here we provide a comprehensive DNA barcode analysis for North American birds including 643 species representing 93% of the breeding and pelagic avifauna of the USA and Canada. Most (94%) species possess distinct barcode clusters, with average neighbour-joining bootstrap support of 98%. In the remaining 6%, barcode clusters correspond to small sets of closely related species, most of which hybridize regularly. Fifteen (2%) currently recognized species are comprised of two distinct barcode clusters, many of which may represent cryptic species. Intraspecific variation is weakly related to census population size and species age. This study confirms that DNA barcoding can be effectively applied across the geographical and taxonomic expanse of North American birds. The consistent finding of constrained intraspecific mitochondrial variation in this large assemblage of species supports the emerging view that selective sweeps limit mitochondrial diversity.

The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is a common tube-nosed seabird with a disjunct Holarctic range. Taxonomic divisions within the Northern Fulmar have historically been muddled by geographical variation notably including highly polymorphic plumage. Recent molecular analyses (i.e., DNA barcoding) have suggested that genetic divergence between Atlantic and Pacific populations could be on par with those typically observed between species. We employ a multigene phylogenetic analysis to better explore the level of genetic divergence between these populations and to test an old hypothesis on the origin of the modern distribution of color morphs across their range. Additionally, we test whether mutations in the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) are associated with dark plumage in the Northern Fulmar. We confirmed that mitochondrial lineages in the Atlantic and Pacific populations are highly divergent, but nuclear markers revealed incomplete lineage sorting. Genetic divergence between these populations is consistent with that observed between many species of Procellariiformes and we recommend elevating these two forms to separate species. We also find that MC1R variation is not associated with color morph but rather is better explained by geographical divergence.

As of February 2011, COI DNA barcode sequences (a 648-bp segment of the 5' end of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I, the standard DNA barcode for animals) have been collected from over 23,000 avian specimens representing 3,800 species, more than one-third of the world's avifauna. Here, we detail the methodology for obtaining DNA barcodes from birds, covering the entire process from field collection to data analysis. We emphasize key aspects of the process and describe in more detail those that are particularly relevant in the case of birds. We provide elemental information about collection of specimens, detailed protocols for DNA extraction and PCR, and basic aspects of sequencing methodology. In particular, we highlight the primer pairs and thermal cycling profiles associated with successful amplification and sequencing from a broad range of avian species. Finally, we succinctly review the methodology for data analysis, including the detection of errors (such as contamination, misidentifications, or amplification of pseudogenes), assessment of species resolution, detection of divergent intraspecific lineages, and identification of unknown specimens.

As of February 2011, COI DNA barcode sequences (a 648-bp segment of the 5' end of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I, the standard DNA barcode for animals) have been collected from over 23,000 avian specimens representing 3,800 species, more than one-third of the world's avifauna. Here, we detail the methodology for obtaining DNA barcodes from birds, covering the entire process from field collection to data analysis. We emphasize key aspects of the process and describe in more detail those that are particularly relevant in the case of birds. We provide elemental information about collection of specimens, detailed protocols for DNA extraction and PCR, and basic aspects of sequencing methodology. In particular, we highlight the primer pairs and thermal cycling profiles associated with successful amplification and sequencing from a broad range of avian species. Finally, we succinctly review the methodology for data analysis, including the detection of errors (such as contamination, misidentifications, or amplification of pseudogenes), assessment of species resolution, detection of divergent intraspecific lineages, and identification of unknown specimens.

The capuchinos are a group of birds in the genus Sporophila that has apparently radiated recently, as evidenced by their lack of mitochondrial genetic diversity. We obtained cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences (or DNA barcodes) for the 11 species of the group and various outgroups. We compared the patterns of COI variability of the capuchinos with those of the largest barcode data set from neotropical birds currently available (500 species representing 51% of avian richness in Argentina), and subjected COI sequences to neighbour-joining, maximum parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses as well as statistical parsimony network analysis. A clade within the capuchinos, the southern capuchinos, showed higher intraspecific and lower interspecific divergence than the remaining Argentine species. As most of the southern capuchinos shared COI haplotypes and pairwise distances within species were in many cases higher than distances between them, the phylogenetic affinities within the group remained unresolved. The observed genetic pattern is consistent with both incomplete lineage sorting and gene flow between species. The southern capuchinos constitute the only large group of species among the neotropical birds barcoded so far that are inseparable when using DNA barcodes, and one of few multispecies avian groups known to lack reciprocal monophyly. Extending the analysis to rapidly evolving nuclear and mitochondrial markers will be crucial to understanding this radiation. Apart from giving insights into the evolution of the capuchinos, this study shows how DNA barcoding can rapidly flag species or groups of species worthy of deeper study. Fil: Campagna, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina Fil: Lijtmaer, Dario Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina Fil: Kerr, Kevin C. R.. University of Guelph; Canadá Fil: Barreira, Ana Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina Fil: Hebert, Paul David Neil. University of Guelph; Canadá Fil: Lougheed, Stephen C.. Queens University; Canadá Fil: Tubaro, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina

Background The causes for the higher biodiversity in the Neotropics as compared to the Nearctic and the factors promoting species diversification in each region have been much debated. The refuge hypothesis posits that high tropical diversity reflects high speciation rates during the Pleistocene, but this conclusion has been challenged. The present study investigates this matter by examining continental patterns of avian diversification through the analysis of large-scale DNA barcode libraries. Methodology and Principal Findings Standardized COI datasets from the avifaunas of Argentina, the Nearctic, and the Palearctic were analyzed. Average genetic distances between closest congeners and sister species were higher in Argentina than in North America reflecting a much higher percentage of recently diverged species in the latter region. In the Palearctic genetic distances between closely related species appeared to be more similar to those of the southern Neotropics. Average intraspecific variation was similar in Argentina and North America, while the Palearctic fauna had a higher value due to a higher percentage of variable species. Geographic patterning of intraspecific structure was more complex in the southern Neotropics than in the Nearctic, while the Palearctic showed an intermediate level of complexity. Conclusions and Significance DNA barcodes can reveal continental patterns of diversification. Our analysis suggests that avian species are older in Argentina than in the Nearctic, supporting the idea that the greater diversity of the Neotropical avifauna is not caused by higher recent speciation rates. Species in the Palearctic also appear to be older than those in the Nearctic. These results, combined with the patterns of geographic structuring found in each region, suggest a major impact of Pleistocene glaciations in the Nearctic, a lesser effect in the Palearctic and a mild effect in the southern Neotropics.

Background The Palearctic region supports relatively few avian species, yet recent molecular studies have revealed that cryptic lineages likely still persist unrecognized. A broad survey of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences, or DNA barcodes, can aid on this front by providing molecular diagnostics for species assignment. Barcodes have already been extensively surveyed in the Nearctic, which provides an interesting comparison to this region; faunal interchange between these regions has been very dynamic. We explored COI sequence divergence within and between species of Palearctic birds, including samples from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. As of yet, there is no consensus on the best method to analyze barcode data. We used this opportunity to compare and contrast three different methods routinely employed in barcoding studies: clustering-based, distance-based, and character-based methods. Results We produced COI sequences from 1,674 specimens representing 398 Palearctic species. These were merged with published COI sequences from North American congeners, creating a final dataset of 2,523 sequences for 599 species. Ninety-six percent of the species analyzed could be accurately identified using one or a combination of the methods employed. Most species could be rapidly assigned using the cluster-based or distance-based approach alone. For a few select groups of species, the character-based method offered an additional level of resolution. Of the five groups of indistinguishable species, most were pairs, save for a larger group comprising the herring gull complex. Up to 44 species exhibited deep intraspecific divergences, many of which corresponded to previously described phylogeographic patterns and endemism hotspots. Conclusion COI sequence divergence within eastern Palearctic birds is largely consistent with that observed in birds from other temperate regions. Sequence variation is primarily congruent with taxonomic boundaries; deviations from this trend reveal overlooked biological patterns, and in some cases, overlooked species. More research is needed to further refine the taxonomic status of some Palearctic birds, but large genetic surveys such as this may facilitate this effort. DNA barcodes are a practical means for rapid species assignment, although efficient analytical methods will likely require a two-tiered approach to differentiate closely related pairs of species.

Background: The Neotropical avifauna is more diverse than that of any other biogeographic region, but our understanding of patterns of regional divergence is limited. Critical examination of this issue is currently constrained by the limited genetic information available. This study begins to address this gap by assembling a library of mitochondrial COI sequences, or DNA barcodes, for Argentinian birds and comparing their patterns of genetic diversity to those of North American birds. Methodology and Principal Findings: Five hundred Argentinian species were examined, making this the first major examination of DNA barcodes for South American birds. Our results indicate that most southern Neotropical bird species show deep sequence divergence from their nearest-neighbour, corroborating that the high diversity of this fauna is not based on an elevated incidence of young species radiations. Although species ages appear similar in temperate North and South American avifaunas, patterns of regional divergence are more complex in the Neotropics, suggesting that the high diversity of the Neotropical avifauna has been fueled by greater opportunities for regional divergence. Deep genetic splits were observed in at least 21 species, though distribution patterns of these lineages were variable. The lack of shared polymorphisms in species, even in species with less than 0.5M years of reproductive isolation, further suggests that selective sweeps could regularly excise ancestral mitochondrial polymorphisms. Conclusions: These findings confirm the efficacy of species delimitation in birds via DNA barcodes, even when tested on a global scale. Further, they demonstrate how large libraries of a standardized gene region provide insight into evolutionary processes. Fil: Kerr, Kevin C. R.. University of Guelph; Canadá Fil: Lijtmaer, Dario Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Barreira, Ana Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Hebert, Paul David Neil. University of Guelph; Canadá Fil: Tubaro, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina

The first Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) recorded in the Great Lakes basin was discovered on Lake Erie near the source of the Niagara River on 7 October 2013 by J. P. Morphologic evidence suggested that this bird was an adult female of the nominate Atlantic subspecies. We obtained genomic DNA from feces left by the bird. Mitochondrial DNA from the control region (CR2) was sequenced and compared with extensive CR2 data for Brown Booby available in GenBank; this corroborated the morphologic hypothesis. This is the first time that a vagrant bird in Canada has been identified using DNA extracted from feces.

DNA barcoding seeks to assemble a standardized reference library for DNA-based identification of eukaryotic species. The utility and limitations of this approach need to be tested on well-characterized taxonomic assemblages. Here we provide a comprehensive DNA barcode analysis for North American birds including 643 species representing 93% of the breeding and pelagic avifauna of the USA and Canada. Most (94%) species possess distinct barcode clusters, with average neighbour-joining bootstrap support of 98%. In the remaining 6%, barcode clusters correspond to small sets of closely related species, most of which hybridize regularly. Fifteen (2%) currently recognized species are comprised of two distinct barcode clusters, many of which may represent cryptic species. Intraspecific variation is weakly related to census population size and species age. This study confirms that DNA barcoding can be effectively applied across the geographical and taxonomic expanse of North American birds. The consistent finding of constrained intraspecific mitochondrial variation in this large assemblage of species supports the emerging view that selective sweeps limit mitochondrial diversity.

On 18 July 2007, near Goose Creek, south of Churchill Manitoba, a Great Gray Owl, Strix nebulosa, pellet that contained the pronotum and elytra of a predacious diving beetle, Dytiscus alaskanus, was discovered at a nest.

Birds are a taxonomically well-described group of animals, yet DNA barcoding, i.e., the molecular characterization of species using a standardized genetic marker, has revealed unexpected patterns of genetic divergences among North American birds. We performed a comprehensive COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) barcode survey of 296 species of Scandinavian birds, and compared genetic divergences among 78 trans-Atlantic species whose breeding ranges include both Scandinavia and North America. Ninety-four percent of the Scandinavian species showed unique barcode clusters; the remaining 6% had overlapping barcodes with one or more congeneric species, which may reflect incomplete lineage sorting or a single gene pool. Four species showed large intra-specific divergences within Scandinavia, despite no apparent morphological differentiation or indications of reproductive isolation. These cases may reflect admixture of previously isolated lineages, and may thus warrant more comprehensive phylogeographic analyses. Nineteen (24%) of 78 trans-Atlantic species exhibited divergent genetic clusters which correspond with regional subspecies. Three of these trans-Atlantic divergences were paraphyletic. Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of COI barcodes for identifying Scandinavian birds and highlights taxa for taxonomic review. The standardized DNA barcoding approach amplified the power of our regional studies by enabling independently obtained datasets to be merged with the established avian barcode library.