Colonisation of islands by long distance dispersers has great impact on genetic diversification among populations and may spearhead speciation events. We investigated intra‐ and interspecific divergence in Charadrius plovers with populations on mainland Africa, Madagascar and St Helena. We analysed microsatellite loci and sequence data from four nuclear and two mitochondrial gene regions. Charadrius plovers are shorebirds with high dispersal and mobility. Our results confirmed genetic differentiation between Madagascar and mainland populations of three plover species (White‐fronted Plovers, C. marginatus; Kittlitz's Plovers, C. pecuarius; and based on sequence data only, Three‐banded Plovers, C. tricollaris) but highlight substantial variation in levels of intraspecific divergence among the three species. Namely, the Kittlitz's Plover, a dispersive habitat generalist with a polygamous mating system, exhibited lower island‐mainland differentiation (0.05% COI sequence divergence) than two monogamous species, the White‐fronted Plover (0.6% COI divergence) and Three‐banded Plover (1.6% COI divergence). In addition, past colonisation of the islands of St Helena and Madagascar by ancestors of today's Kittlitz's Plover led to the evolution of two endemic island species, the Madagascar Plover C. thoracicus and the more closely‐related St Helena Plover C. sanctaehelenae. We discuss the factors driving species differences in island‐mainland divergence, and highlight the importance of conserving genetically unique island populations and island habitats to safe‐guard future evolutionary potential.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)