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No evidence of genetic differentiation between lesser redpolls Carduelis flammea cabaret and common redpolls Carduelis f. flammea.

Ottvall, Richard LU ; Bensch, Staffan LU ; Walinder, G and Lifjeld, JT (2002) In Avian Science 2(4). p.237-244
Abstract
The remarkable variation in plumage and morphological characters in the redpoll complex Carduelis flammea-hornemanni has puzzled taxonomists for several decades. In contrast, molecular studies have not revealed any genetic differentiation among the phenotypic redpoll forms. This could either be a result of high present-day gene flow or morphological differentiation following a rapid and recent population expansion. We sequenced a major portion (960 bp) of the mitochondrial control region in individuals of the two taxa Carduelis flammea flammea and C. f. cabaret. Birds were sampled on autumn migration in southern Sweden (n = 30) and on breeding areas in southern Norway (n = 11). We found 22 variable sites defining 26 different haplotypes,... (More)
The remarkable variation in plumage and morphological characters in the redpoll complex Carduelis flammea-hornemanni has puzzled taxonomists for several decades. In contrast, molecular studies have not revealed any genetic differentiation among the phenotypic redpoll forms. This could either be a result of high present-day gene flow or morphological differentiation following a rapid and recent population expansion. We sequenced a major portion (960 bp) of the mitochondrial control region in individuals of the two taxa Carduelis flammea flammea and C. f. cabaret. Birds were sampled on autumn migration in southern Sweden (n = 30) and on breeding areas in southern Norway (n = 11). We found 22 variable sites defining 26 different haplotypes, of which most (22/26) were singletons. The level of haplotype and nucleotide diversity was low in the two taxa and we found no evidence of genetic differentiation. A mismatch distribution was very similar to that expected from a sudden population expansion model. Our estimates suggest that the redpoll population expanded during the last glaciation episode from a small population to a long-term effective population size of 230 000 females. The findings in our study suggest that the morphological differentiation between the two taxa occurred rather recently but after the population expansion. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Avian Science
volume
2
issue
4
pages
237 - 244
publisher
European Ornithologists' Union
ISSN
1424-8743
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3216467d-d351-4292-9183-51f91a1f25b9 (old id 149144)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:41:03
date last changed
2021-01-05 12:50:09
@article{3216467d-d351-4292-9183-51f91a1f25b9,
  abstract     = {{The remarkable variation in plumage and morphological characters in the redpoll complex Carduelis flammea-hornemanni has puzzled taxonomists for several decades. In contrast, molecular studies have not revealed any genetic differentiation among the phenotypic redpoll forms. This could either be a result of high present-day gene flow or morphological differentiation following a rapid and recent population expansion. We sequenced a major portion (960 bp) of the mitochondrial control region in individuals of the two taxa Carduelis flammea flammea and C. f. cabaret. Birds were sampled on autumn migration in southern Sweden (n = 30) and on breeding areas in southern Norway (n = 11). We found 22 variable sites defining 26 different haplotypes, of which most (22/26) were singletons. The level of haplotype and nucleotide diversity was low in the two taxa and we found no evidence of genetic differentiation. A mismatch distribution was very similar to that expected from a sudden population expansion model. Our estimates suggest that the redpoll population expanded during the last glaciation episode from a small population to a long-term effective population size of 230 000 females. The findings in our study suggest that the morphological differentiation between the two taxa occurred rather recently but after the population expansion.}},
  author       = {{Ottvall, Richard and Bensch, Staffan and Walinder, G and Lifjeld, JT}},
  issn         = {{1424-8743}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{237--244}},
  publisher    = {{European Ornithologists' Union}},
  series       = {{Avian Science}},
  title        = {{No evidence of genetic differentiation between lesser redpolls Carduelis flammea cabaret and common redpolls Carduelis f. flammea.}},
  volume       = {{2}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}