Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms causing reproductive isolation between incipient species can give important insights into the process of species origin. Here, we describe a record of a hybrid female between two closely related bird species, the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and the Thrush Nightingale (L. luscinia). These species are separated by incomplete prezygotic isolation, and the occurrence of fertile hybrid males in nature has been documented before. Our record represents the first genetically confirmed evidence of the occurrence of hybrid females between these two species in nature. Although the hybrid female was captured in the peak of the breeding season in suitable habitat, it did not show any sign of reproductive activity, suggesting that it was sterile. This observation together with previous experimental work in captivity suggests that hybrid female sterility plays an important role in reproductive isolation in nightingales. Unexpectedly, the hybrid female had highly developed fat reserves and was in the process of moulting, which in nightingales normally occurs approximately 1 month later. This unusual moult pattern could contribute to lower fitness of hybrid females and thus to speciation in nightingales.
Zusammenfassung
Die Mechanismen zu verstehen, die zu reproduktiver Isolation werdender Arten führen, kann wichtige Einblicke in den Prozess der Artentstehung gewähren. Hier beschreiben wir den Nachweis einer weiblichen Hybriden von zwei eng verwandten Vogelarten, der Nachtigall (Luscinia megarhynchos) und dem Sprosser (L. luscinia). Diese Arten sind durch unvollständige präzygotische Isolation getrennt, und fruchtbare Hybridmännchen sind bereits zuvor in der Natur dokumentiert worden. Unser Nachweis stellt den ersten genetisch abgesicherten Beleg für das Auftreten weiblicher Hybriden dieser beiden Arten in der Natur dar. Obwohl das Hybridweibchen zum Höhepunkt der Brutsaison in geeignetem Habitat gefangen wurde, zeigte es keinerlei Anzeichen reproduktiver Aktivität, was darauf hindeutet, dass es steril war. Diese Beobachtung deutet nebst früheren experimentellen Arbeiten in Gefangenschaft darauf hin, dass weibliche Hybridsterilität eine wichtige Rolle für die reproduktive Isolation von Nachtigallen spielt. Unerwarteterweise hatte das Hybridweibchen sehr gut entwickelte Fettreserven und befand sich in der Mauser, die bei Nachtigallen normalerweise etwa einen Monat später beginnt. Dieses ungewöhnliche Mausermuster könnte zur niedrigeren Fitness von Hybridweibchen und daher zur Artbildung bei Nachtigallen beitragen.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Lukas Jenni for discussions on the progress of moulting in the captured individual, David Hardekopf for English revision and three anonymous referees for valuable comments to earlier drafts of this manuscript. This research was supported by post-doctoral grant of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR 206/08/P160) to R.R., and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic (MSM0021620828, MSM6198959212). Experiments comply with the current laws of the Czech Republic.
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Communicated by T. Friedl.
Sequence data from this article have been deposited with the GenBank Data Libraries under accession nos. HQ191443-HQ191473.
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Reifová, R., Kverek, P. & Reif, J. The first record of a female hybrid between the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and the Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) in nature. J Ornithol 152, 1063–1068 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0700-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0700-7