Incomplete reproductive isolation following host shift in brood parasitic indigobirds.

ABSTRACT: Behavioural and molecular studies suggest that brood parasitic indigobirds (Vidua spp.) rapidly diversified through a process of speciation by host shift. However, behavioural imprinting on host song, the key mechanism promoting speciation in this system, may also lead to hybridization and gene flow among established indigobird species when and if female indigobirds parasitize hosts already associated with other indigobird species. It is therefore not clear to what extent the low level of genetic differentiation among indigobird species is due to recent common ancestry versus ongoing gene flow. We tested for reproductive isolation among three indigobird species in Cameroon, one of which comprises two morphologically indistinguishable host races. Mimicry of host songs corresponded with plum

SUBMITTER: Balakrishnan CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2674339 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature