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BIOEVO-Evolusjonsbiologi og økologi

Local adaptations in cuckoos and their hosts; a metapopulation approach: tillegg til 151641/V40

Awarded: NOK 0.68 mill.

Coevolutionary dynamics allows revealing ongoing microevolutionary dynamics and adaptations. Interactions between obligate avian brood parasites and their hosts are suitable systems for the study of coevolution. Various adaptations and counter-adaptations have previously been described in both parasites and hosts. Spatial differentiation of various populations of hosts and parasites into metapopulations may lead to local adaptations in the interacting species. Within such populations, frequency-dependent selection by the parasite on the most common host egg phenotypes can favour more extreme host phenotypes. In this project, the evolution of host and parasite adaptations is studied in specific host populations in time and space, by analysing egg clutches in museum collections and in the field. By identifying and comparing various host and parasite populations we examine if local adaptations in host and parasite egg phenotypes exist in a European brood parasite and a common host. In addition, by applying t he concepts of metapopulation dynamics, we model the expected behaviour of hosts towards parasites in specific populations. Few studies have focused on local adaptations in various subpopulations in a metapopulation scenario. Our approach is thus not only likely to be important in a coevolutionary context, but also aimed at improving our understanding of evolutionary biology in general, biodiversity and conservation biology. Modern techniques including photospectrometry and molecular analyses are applied in this project.

Funding scheme:

BIOEVO-Evolusjonsbiologi og økologi

Thematic Areas and Topics

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