Conservation Genetics

, Volume 15, Issue 3, pp 655–664 | Cite as

Lowland panmixia versus highland disjunction: genetic and bioacoustic differentiation in two species of East African White-eye birds

  • Jan Christian Habel
  • Werner Ulrich
  • Gustav Peters
  • Martin Husemann
  • Luc Lens
Research Article
First Online:
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Accepted:

Abstract

East-African mountain forest species often occur in small and isolated populations, whereas species inhabiting the dry lowland savannahs exist in large and interconnected population networks. Taxa with closely related highland and lowland species, such as the East-African White-eye birds, allow testing for the potential effects of the two contrasting distribution patterns, mountain disjunction versus lowland panmixia. In this study, we compare the population genetic and bioacoustic differentiation of two representatives of the genus Zosterops: Zosterops poliogaster is exclusively found in forests at higher elevations; in comparison, Zosterops abyssinicus, only occurs in the dry and warm lowland savannahs. Both species were analysed across a similar geographical scale. Population genetic differentiation was inferred using the same set of 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci for both species. In addition, we quantitatively analyzed bioacoustic traits. Both data sets indicate a strong population differentiation among populations of the highland species, but an absence of differentiation in the lowland species. In addition, the lowland Z. abyssinicus was characterised by a twofold higher genetic diversity than detected for the highland Z. poliogaster. These two contrasting intraspecific population structures may reflect the opposite ecology and distribution of these species: the strong population isolation of Z. poliogaster resulting from long-term restriction to the cool and moist mountain forests at higher elevations has led to strong differentiation among local populations and resulted in a comparatively low level of intraspecific variability. In contrast, population panmixia in the lowland Z. abyssinicus provides a high level of gene flow allowing the maintenance of high genetic diversity and avoiding strong population structuring. These findings need to be considered when planning conservation actions.

Keywords

Bioacoustics Cloud forest Differentiation Disjunction Diversity Panmixia Population genetics Savannah 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). We thank Titus Iboma, Onesmus M. Kioko and Ronald K. Mulwa (NMK Nairobi, Kenya) for field assistance. We thank Krystal Tolley and one anonymous referee for improving a previous version of this article.

Supplementary material

10592_2014_567_MOESM1_ESM.docx (42 kb)
Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 42 kb)

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jan Christian Habel
    • 1
  • Werner Ulrich
    • 2
  • Gustav Peters
    • 3
  • Martin Husemann
    • 1
    • 4
  • Luc Lens
    • 5
  1. 1.Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem ManagementTechnische Universität MünchenFreising-WeihenstephanGermany
  2. 2.Chair of Ecology and BiogeographyNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńToruńPoland
  3. 3.Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander KoenigBonnGermany
  4. 4.Biology DepartmentBaylor UniversityWacoUSA
  5. 5.Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of BiologyGhent UniversityGhentBelgium

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