Migratory flyway and geographical distance are barriers to the gene flow of influenza virus among North American birds

Ecol Lett. 2012 Jan;15(1):24-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01703.x. Epub 2011 Oct 18.

Abstract

Despite the importance of migratory birds in the ecology and evolution of avian influenza virus (AIV), there is a lack of information on the patterns of AIV spread at the intra-continental scale. We applied a variety of statistical phylogeographic techniques to a plethora of viral genome sequence data to determine the strength, pattern and determinants of gene flow in AIV sampled from wild birds in North America. These analyses revealed a clear isolation-by-distance of AIV among sampling localities. In addition, we show that phylogeographic models incorporating information on the avian flyway of sampling proved a better fit to the observed sequence data than those specifying homogeneous or random rates of gene flow among localities. In sum, these data strongly suggest that the intra-continental spread of AIV by migratory birds is subject to major ecological barriers, including spatial distance and avian flyway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Migration*
  • Animals
  • Birds / physiology
  • Birds / virology*
  • Gene Flow*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Geography*
  • Influenza A virus / genetics*
  • Influenza in Birds / transmission*
  • Influenza in Birds / virology
  • North America
  • Phylogeny
  • Phylogeography
  • Social Isolation