Circadian gene variation in relation to breeding season and latitude in allochronic populations of two pelagic seabird species complexes

Annual cues in the environment result in physiological changes that allow organisms to time reproduction during periods of optimal resource availability. Understanding how circadian rhythm genes sense these environmental cues and stimulate the appropriate physiological changes in response is important for determining the adaptability of species, especially in the advent of changing climate. A first step involves characterizing the environmental correlates of natural variation in these genes. Band-rumped and Leach’s storm-petrels (Hydrobates spp.) are pelagic seabirds that breed across a wide range of latitudes. Importantly, some populations have undergone allochronic divergence, in which sympatric populations use the same breeding sites at different times of year. We investigated the relationship between variation in key functional regions of four genes that play an integral role in the cellular clock mechanism—Clock, Bmal1, Cry2 and Per2—with both breeding season and absolute latitude in these two species complexes. We discovered that allele frequencies in two genes, Clock and Bmal1, differed between seasonal populations in one archipelago, and also correlated with absolute latitude of breeding colonies. These results indicate that variation in these circadian rhythm genes may be involved in allochronic speciation, as well as adaptation to photoperiod at breeding locations.