• Of the 1,095 molted feather samples, 1,093 (99.8%) contained enough DNA to successfully amplify 7 – 13 loci in triplicate.
• All microsatellite loci were polymorphic with 5 - 23 alleles per locus at the provincial level and 1 - 19 alleles at the lek level. Global (across years) genetic diversity measures and relatedness were consistent with annual estimates within leks and across most leks. Allelic richness (AR) was highest in the larger leks (average lek counts of ≥ 8 males; 10/11, 16, 30, 31, and 34) and was lowest in lek 1/9. Observed heterozygosity (HO) was consistent across all leks. Relatedness (R) was high (0.63) and FIS low (-0.33) for lek 1/9. Diversity did not vary across years (HO, Wald = 1.53, P = 0.13; AR, Wald = 1.39, P = 0.16; FIS, Wald = 1.37, P = 0.17).• The most likely number of genetic
clusters within Alberta was one (∆K = 12.3 for K
= 1 vs. the next highest ∆K = 4.8 for K
= 3). There was a
weak negative relationship between lek relatedness and geographic distance for
all birds combined, males, and females.
• Male, female, and male + female relatedness were close to 0
• Birds were consistently more related within-leks than
between leks
• The only lek that had elevated relatedness (0.64) was the unusual lek 1/9