Status and Perspective of the Red-crowned Crane Based on Genetic Diversity

Although the population inhabiting Hokkaido (island population) of the red-crowned crane had been reduced to near extinction at the end of the nineteenth century, the population size has recovered and continues increasing now thanks to conservation activities. The previous studies reported that the genetic variation of the island population was lower than the continental population and there were not regional genetic differences. However, no direct comparison between the recent and past genetic structures has been performed. To investigate the spatiotemporal change of genetic variation and population structure, we performed mitochondrial DNA analyses using temporal samples collected during 1787–2014, including stuffed specimens. We found only three haplotypes among the 230 red-crowned cranes. Our results showed that the haplotype frequencies have not been changed during the past decades and the island population has been genetically homogeneous with low genetic variations for at least 100 years.