High genetic diversity and weak population structuring in the Eurasian Woodcock in Hungary during spring

Abstract

In this study, we examined the variation of eight autosomal microsatellite markers, and explored the genetic diversity and the measure of population structuring of Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) in Hungary in spring. We tested whether any subopulations can be identified in our sample, and we also examined whether the individuals that occurred closer to each other in space and in time were also more similar in genetic terms. We analysed samples from 240 free-ranging birds collected during legal hunting from mid-February to the end of April in 2015 from different parts of the country. We found high genetic diversity and low level of population structuring in our samples. Moreover, our results did not support the assumptions that Woodcocks occurring in different places or at different times in Hungary would also belong to different breeding populations.