Evolutionary history of an island endemic, the Azorean common quail.

ABSTRACT: Oceanic islands are characterized by conditions that favour diversification into endemic lineages that can be very different from their mainland counterparts. This can be the result of fast phenotypic divergence due to drift or the result of slower adaptation to local conditions. This uniqueness can obscure their evolutionary history. Here we used morphological, stable isotope, genetic and genomic data to characterize common quails (Coturnix coturnix) in the Azores archipelago and assess the divergence from neighbouring common quail populations. Historical documents suggested that these quails could have a recent origin associated with the arrival of humans in the last centuries. Our results show that Azorean quails constitute a well-differentiated lineage with small size and dark throat p

SUBMITTER: Ravagni S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11628650 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature