High Connectivity Among Breeding Populations of the Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) in Mexico and Southern California Revealed Through Population Genomic Analysis

Population genetic structure can aide in developing conservation and management strategies by characterizing populations on local and regional scales. The Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) has a restricted breeding range, with a majority of its nesting population historically found on Isla Rasa, Gulf of California, Mexico. Since the late 1950s, increased frequency of low marine productivity due to warm oceanographic anomalies, such as El Niño...