The identification of Bean Goose Anser fabalis subspecies wintering in Japan, based on studies of the mitochondrial DNA control region: a preliminary study

Abstract

The Bean Goose Anser fabalis, breeds in the northern Palaearctic region during summer and winters in the temperature zone, including in Japan. Based on morphological criteria, A. f. serrirostris winters in the Tohoku region along the Pacific coast, while A. f. middendorffii winters in the Hokuriku region along the Japan Sea coast and around Lake Kasumigaura. However, identification of the subspecies of birds wintering in the Izumo region has been uncertain due to morphological variation in the population. We sampled fallen feathers from four wintering sites (Lake Kejonuma, Miyagi Prefecture; Asahi pond, Niigata Prefecture; Sakai plain, Fukui Prefecture, and Izumo plain, Shimane Prefecture), determined nucleotide sequence in the mitochondrial DNA control region, and compared the results with those from previous studies. Feathers sampled from Lake Kejonuma were found to fall within a clade including A. f. serrirostris, while those sampled from the Asahi pond were included in a clade including A. f. middendorffii. These results were concordant with the subspecies allocations based on morphological criteria. The feathers sampled from the Izumo plain fell within the clade including A. f. middendorffii, which suggests that the population in the region mostly consists maternally of A. f. middendorffii. In addition, a control region sequence belonging to A. f. serrirostris was found in the Sakai plain where few A. f. serrirostris were observed.