Genetic diversity in the Araripe manakin (Antilophia bokermanni) indicates a history of demographic decline: a critically endangered endemism

Abstract

The Araripe manakin is a critically endangered species of bird endemic to northeastern Brazil. The species’ habitat has suffered intense fragmentation and degradation in recent years, resulting in a decline in population numbers and a probable loss of viability. The present study evaluated the genetic diversity and structure of this population through the analysis of Hypervariable Domain I of the mitochondrial Control Region and two nuclear introns (I7BF and G3PDH). The results, based primarily on mitochondrial data, revealed an absence of any population substructuring and a marked tendency for population decline during the demographic history of the species, which began during the late Pleistocene, approximately 40,000 years ago. The evidence indicates that the effective size of the population of the Araripe manakin has declined gradually over time, a process that may be intensifying as a result of the recent anthropogenic impacts on the species’ habitat.