La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Behavioural and ecological correlates of natural hybridization in birds
Auteurs :	Christoph Randler, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ibis (148(3) JUL 2006)
Article en page(s) :	459-467
Résumé :	Hybridization and speciation are central to evolutionary biology. Although birds have been studied more thoroughly than any other vertebrate class, there have still been few macro-evolutionary analyses. Here, I present results based on 65 phylogenetically independent hybrid types from the western Palearctic, focusing on behavioural and ecological correlates of hybridization. The main results are as follows. (1) Hybrids that are easier to detect were more often reported. (2) A positive correlation exists between population size (mean of both parent species) and the number of hybrids. After accounting for these confounding variables in a General Linear Model, I found (3) that sympatric species pairs produced fewer hybrids than did parapatric species pairs and (4) pairs with at least one of the parent species reported as endangered produced a greater number of hybrids whereas (5) species pairs with high male parental (paternal) care produced fewer hybrids. Other variables were excluded by a stepwise procedure in the following order: sexual dichromatism; body weight differences; publication bias. Phylogenetic information was available for a small number of hybrids but did not influence the results.

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