Variability of the mtDNA control region in goose Anser albifrons Scopoli, 1769

Abstract

Sequence variation of the mtDNA control region was examined in greater white-fronted goose Anser albifrons Scopoli, 1769 individuals (n = 71). The obtained sequences were compared with those from the NCBI GenBank database. The high level of similarity of the sample from Primorye (A. albifrons) with the sample from Japan (A. a. frontalis) at the level of molecular variation, genetic distance, phylogenetic reconstruction, and haplotype network was demonstrated. A hypothesis on the ways of spring goose migration in the Far East was made. It was confirmed that white-fronted geese wintering in Japan fly to their breeding grounds through Kamchatka.