Adjustment of resting metabolic rate by pied flycatchers to the environment promotes regional coexistence with sister species

• Differences in life history strategies of closely related species can result in variation in relative fitness across heterogeneous environments and promote coexistence. However, physiological mechanisms mediating such variation in relative fitness have not been identified. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is tightly associated with life-history strategies and could therefore moderate differences in fitness responses to fluctuations in local environments, particularly when species have evolved to different climatic niches in allopatry. We explore whether differences in RMR match changes in relative fitness between collared (Ficedula albicollis) and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) across environmental conditions experienced in a recent hybrid zone. We found a negative correlation between nestling RMR and temperatures experienced during growth in pied flycatchers, which was absent in collared flycatchers. This implies that pied flycatchers are better adapted to the typical seasonal changes in temperature and food availability experienced at these northern breeding sites. There was sufficient additive genetic variance in RMR to respond to selection in both species that may either facilitate ecological character displacement or lead to a breakdown of coexistence. Generally, subtle differences in climate adaptation may play an important role to patterns of competition, coexistence or displacements between closely related species at recent secondary contact.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)