![]() This implies that philopatry and other intrinsic barriers to dispersal (e.g. Consequently, one could expect seabirds to disperse freely among their breeding sites yet growing evidence suggests that the potential for long-distance movement is not always the best indicator of gene flow 9, 10. Seabirds have an almost unsurpassed flight potential and have been known to cross physical features that limit dispersal in less motile groups 6– 8. Seabirds present several challenges to the generally accepted mechanisms of population differentiation in other vagile groups 3, 4 and, despite recent advances in genetic theory and approaches, the scales at which genetic differentiation exists among their populations remains extremely difficult to predict 5. We anticipate that these findings will have a pivotal influence on seabird research and population management, focusing attention below the species level of taxonomic organization.Ī topic of critical importance in conservation biology concerns the mechanisms through which evolutionary changes occur, including the influence of population connectivity, and the implications of variation in connectivity on a species’ long-term survival and conservation needs 1, 2. This implies that loss of a single colony could result in the loss of genetic variation, impairing the species’ ability to adapt to threats in the long term. This unexpected result was supported by long-term banding and was clearly linked to the species’ extreme philopatric tendencies, emphasizing the importance of philopatry as an intrinsic barrier to gene flow. We explored genetic population structure at a previously unrecognized spatial scale in seabirds, focusing on fine-scale isolation between colonies, and identified two distinct genetic clusters of Barau’s Petrels ( Pterodroma baraui) on Réunion Island (Indian Ocean) corresponding to the sampled breeding colonies separated by 5 km. Effective conservation requires maintenance of the processes underlying species divergence, as well as understanding species’ responses to episodic disturbances and long-term change.
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