Counteracting forces of introgressive hybridization and interspecific competition shape the morphological traits of cryptic Iberian Eptesicus bats.

ABSTRACT: Cryptic species that coexist in sympatry are likely to simultaneously experience strong competition and hybridization. The first phenomenon would lead to character displacement, whereas the second can potentially promote morphological similarity through adaptive introgression. The main goal of this work was to investigate the effect of introgressive hybridization on the morphology of cryptic Iberian Eptesicus bats when facing counteracting evolutionary forces from interspecific competition. We found substantial overlap both in dentition and in wing morphology traits, though mainly in individuals in sympatry. The presence of hybrids contributes to a fifth of this overlap, with hybrids showing traits with intermediate morphometry. Thus, introgressive hybridization may contribute to species a

SUBMITTER: Horta P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9270368 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature