Song dialects do not restrict gene flow in an urban population of the orange-tufted sunbird, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nectarinia osea</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Noam Leader Eli Geffen Ofer Mokady Yoram Yom-Tov |
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Institution: | (1) Zoology Department, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel;(2) Division of Science and Conservation, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, 3 Am Ve’Olamo St, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, 95463, Israel |
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Abstract: | Geographic variation in vocalizations is widespread in passerine birds, but its origins and maintenance remain unclear. In
this study, we test the hypothesis that song dialect, a culturally transmitted trait, is related to the population genetic
structure of the orange-tufted sunbird, Nectarinia osea. To address this, we compared mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation together with allele frequencies at five microsatellite
loci from an urban population of sunbirds exhibiting two distinct song dialects on a microgeographic scale. Our findings reveal
no association between dialect membership and genetic composition. All genetic measures, from both mitochondrial and nuclear
DNA, indicate high levels of gene flow between both dialect populations. The low F
ST values obtained from mtDNA and microsatellite analysis imply that the variation among dialects does not account for more
than 2%, at best, of the overall genetic variation found in the entire population. These measures fall well within the range
of similar measures obtained in other studies of species exhibiting vocal dialects, most of which fail to detect any dialect-based
genetic differentiation. The persistence of dialects in the orange-tufted sunbird may thus best be explained by dispersal
of individuals across dialect boundaries and possibly from surrounding areas, followed by postdispersal vocal matching. Because
genetic structuring appears weaker than cultural structure in this species, we discuss the behavioral mechanisms underlying
dialect maintenance in the presence of apparent gene flow. |
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Keywords: | Birdsong Vocal dialects Cultural evolution Gene flow Population genetic structure Nectarinia osea |
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