Assortative mating frames establishment in a young island bird population
Engler JO, Sacher T, Coppack T, Bairlein F (2019): Assortative mating frames establishment in a young island bird population. Royal Society Open Science 6: 190050. IF 2.504, Q1
Within this paper, we studied the population genetics of a recently established island population of Eurasian blackbirds (Aves: Turdus merula) located on the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea. Using microsatellites, we genotyped the majority of the island population, including the nestlings, over a 4-year period between 2004 and 2007. We also genotyped high numbers of migrants on stopover and mainland individuals. During this period, we identified two genetic clusters that comply with the migrating and mainland birds. While most of the island birds belong to the mainland cluster, some breeding individuals and a low fraction of the offspring belong to the genetic cluster found in migrating individuals with almost no admixture between the two, pointing to assortative mating acting on the island population. Other potential drivers of assortative mating in this island population include habitat selection and phenotypic differences, in which further research was gathered outside of this paper. The observed genetic patterns unravel a complex colonization history to which migratory and mainland birds have contributed and which is characterized by assortative mating.
