| 1. |
- Radwan, Jacek, et al.
(författare)
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MHC diversity, malaria and lifetime reproductive success in collared flycatchers
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 21:10, s. 2469-2479
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes encode proteins involved in the recognition of parasite-derived antigens. Their extreme polymorphism is presumed to be driven by co-evolution with parasites. Hostparasite co-evolution was also hypothesized to optimize within-individual MHC diversity at the intermediate level. Here, we use unique data on lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of female collared flycatchers to test whether LRS is associated with within-individual MHC class II diversity. We also examined the association between MHC and infection with avian malaria. Using 454 sequencing, we found that individual flycatchers carry between 3 and 23 functional MHC class II B alleles. Predictions of the optimality hypothesis were not confirmed by our data as the prevalence of blood parasites decreased with functional MHC diversity. Furthermore, we did not find evidence for an association between MHC diversity and LRS.
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| 2. |
- Vallin, Niclas, et al.
(författare)
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Combined effects of interspecific competition and hybridization impede local coexistence of Ficedula flycatchers
- 2012
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Ingår i: Evolutionary Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0269-7653 .- 1573-8477. ; 26:4, s. 927-942
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At secondary contact closely related species may both compete over similar resources and/or hybridize. Simulation models suggest that hybridization increases the risk of extinction beyond the risk resulting from interspecific competition alone, but such combined effects are rarely studied empirically. Here, we use detailed records on pairing patterns, breeding success, local recruitment and immigration collected during 8 years (2002-2009) to investigate the underlying mechanism of the rapid displacement of pied flycatchers by collared flycatchers on the Swedish island of A-land. We found no differences in average reproductive success or reproductive lifespan between the two species. However, we show that young male pied flycatchers failed to establish new territories as the density of male collared flycatchers increased. In addition, as the relative frequency of collared flycatchers increased, the risk of hybridization dramatically increased for female pied flycatchers, which speeds up the exclusion process since there is a high fitness cost associated with hybridization between the two species. In a nearby control area, within the same island, where pied flycatchers breed in the absence of collared flycatchers, no decline in the number of breeding pairs was observed during the same period of time. Our results demonstrate the crucial importance of studying the combined effects of various types of heterospecific interactions to understand and predict the ecological and evolutionary implications of secondary contact between congeneric species. These findings are particularly interesting in the light of recent climate change since the expected range shifts of many taxa will increase competitive and sexual interactions between previously separated species.
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