Habitat association and seasonality in a mosaic and bimodal hybrid zone between Chorthippus brunneus and C. jacobsi (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

ABSTRACT: Understanding why some hybrid zones are bimodal and others unimodal can aid in identifying barriers to gene exchange following secondary contact. The hybrid zone between the grasshoppers Chorthippus brunneus and C. jacobsi contains a mix of allopatric parental populations and inter-mingled bimodal and unimodal sympatric populations, and provides an ideal system to examine the roles of local selection and gene flow between populations in maintaining bimodality. However, it is first necessary to confirm, over a larger spatial scale, previously identified associations between population composition and season and habitat. Here we use cline-fitting of one morphological and one song trait along two valley transects, and intervening mountains, to confirm previously identified habitat association

SUBMITTER: Bailey RI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3366992 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature