Perhaps think about the Boobook, while reading about the Crimson Rosella.
FREE download of pdf.
Colin Trainor
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0050484
Learned Vocal Variation Is Associated with Abrupt Cryptic Genetic Change in a
Parrot Species Complex
Raoul F. H. Ribot,
Katherine L. Buchanan,
John A. Endler,
Leo Joseph,
Andrew T. D. Bennett,
Mathew L. BergAbstractContact
zones between subspecies or closely related species offer valuable
insights into speciation processes. A typical feature of such zones is
the presence of clinal variation in multiple traits. The nature of these
traits and the concordance among clines are expected to influence
whether and how quickly speciation will proceed. Learned signals, such
as vocalizations in species having vocal learning (e.g. humans, many
birds, bats and cetaceans), can exhibit rapid change and may accelerate
reproductive isolation between populations. Therefore, particularly
strong concordance among clines in learned signals and population
genetic structure may be expected, even among continuous populations in
the early stages of speciation. However, empirical evidence for this
pattern is often limited because differences in vocalisations between
populations are driven by habitat differences or have evolved in
allopatry. We tested for this pattern in a unique system where we may be
able to separate effects of habitat and evolutionary history. We
studied geographic variation in the vocalizations of the crimson rosella
(Platycercus elegans) parrot species complex. Parrots are well
known for their life-long vocal learning and cognitive abilities. We
analysed contact calls across a ca 1300 km transect
encompassing populations that differed in neutral genetic markers and
plumage colour. We found steep clinal changes in two acoustic variables
(fundamental frequency and peak frequency position). The positions of
the two clines in vocal traits were concordant with a steep cline in
microsatellite-based genetic variation, but were discordant with the
steep clines in mtDNA, plumage and habitat. Our study provides new
evidence that vocal variation, in a species with vocal learning, can
coincide with areas of restricted gene flow across geographically
continuous populations. Our results suggest that traits that evolve
culturally can be strongly associated with reduced gene flow between
populations, and therefore may promote speciation, even in the absence
of other barriers.
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