Urbanization gradient and genetic variability of birds - example of Kestrels in Warsaw. - R. Rutkowski, L. Rejt, A. Gryczynska-Siemiatkowska, P. Jagolkowska. - Berkut. 14 (1). 2005. - P. 130-136.
In this paper we hypothesised that Kestrels coming from centre of Warsaw should exhibit lower level of genetic variability as compared to the group from suburbs, where more intensive gene flow from rural population is still taking place and that decrease of genetic variability should appear gradually, in accordance with “ecological” urbanization gradient – from the most diverse suburbs to the less diverse centre. In 2002 the blood samples were collected from Kestrel nestlings at 20 nests localized in Warsaw, in central Poland. From each nest two samples were randomly chosen for further analysis. Among three distinguished groups only slight differences at the level of microsatellite polymorphisms were observed and paired t-tests showed that the differences between groups were not significant. Kestrels from the centre of the city showed the highest mean number of alleles per locus, effective number of alleles, allelic richness and heterozygosity. [English].
Key words: Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, genetic variability, synurbization, microsatellite polymorphisms.
Address: R. Rutkowski, Museum & Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00–679 Warsaw, Poland; e-mail: robertrut@miiz.waw.pl.