Intrapopulation variation in mineral profiles of feathers of Spruce Grouse

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Abstract
We used instrumental neutron-activation analysis to determine the concentrations of Br, Mn, Cl, Al, and Na in primary feathers 1, 9, and 10 of Spruce Grouse (Dendragapus canadensis) in four jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in northern Ontario. Our objective was to see if there were consistent trends in intrapopulation variation of mineral profiles among populations. Except in the case of Na concentration, there were significant sources of variation attributable to age (adult versus chick) and sex in all forests, and there were large differences among study sites. Yearling and adult grouse that recruited to the breeding population differed in the elemental composition of their feathers from long-term residents of the same age. Information on intrapopulation variation, which traditionally has confounded studies of geographic variation, may have useful applications in research and management. If trends are repeatable and predictable, feather profiles may be used to identify the age or sex of a bird and the origin of recruits on a microgeographic scale.