Absence of Population Genetic Structure among Breeding Colonies of the Waved Albatross

We used four variable microsatellite loci to examine the distribution of genetic variation and degree of genetic structuring among three subcolonies of Waved Albatrosses (Phoebastria irrorata). The breeding population of this species is almost entirely limited to the island of Española in the Galápagos Archipelago. Such strong philopatry could lead to population genetic structure among subcolonies on the island. Pairwise values of the FST analog, h, calculated from microsatellite genotypes, were all less than 0.012, indicating little genetic differentiation and the presence of gene flow throughout the population.