Cryptic Hybridization Dynamics in a Three-Way Hybrid Zone of Dinopium Flamebacks on a Tropical Island.

ABSTRACT: Island ecosystems have emerged as vital model systems for evolutionary and speciation studies due to their unique environmental conditions and biodiversity. This study investigates the population divergence, hybridization dynamics, and evolutionary history of hybridizing golden-backed and red-backed Dinopium flameback woodpeckers on the island of Sri Lanka, providing insights into speciation processes within an island biogeographic context. Utilizing genomic analysis based on next-generation sequencing, we revealed that the Dinopium hybrid zone on this island is a complex three-way hybrid zone involving three genetically distinct populations: two cryptic populations of golden-backed D. benghalense in the north and one island-endemic red-backed population of D. psaro

SUBMITTER: Ranasinghe RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11664123 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature