Hybridization associated with cycles of ecological succession in a passerine bird

Renée A. Duckworth, Georgy A. Semenov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Identifying the diversity of contexts that can lead to hybridization is important for understanding its prevalence and dynamics in natural populations. Despite the potential of ecological succession to dramatically alter species co-occurrence and abundances, it is unknown whether it directly promotes hybridization and, if so, has long-lasting consequences. Here, we summarize 30 years of survey data across 10 populations to show that in western and mountain bluebirds, heterospecific pairing occurs during repeatable and transient colonization events at the early stages of species turnover. Despite mixed pairing occurring only during early succession, genetic data showed presence of hybrids at both early and late successional stages. Moreover, hybrids showed novel patterns of variation in morphology and behavior, emphasizing that even ephemeral contexts for hybridization can have important evolutionary consequences. Our results suggest that because ecological succession often brings together closely related competitors in disparate numbers but lasts for only a brief period of time, it may be a widespread but underappreciated context for hybridization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)E94-E105
JournalAmerican Naturalist
Volume190
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Competition
  • Ecological succession
  • Hybridization
  • Population size
  • Sialia
  • Species replacement

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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