RT Journal Article
T1 Morphological divergence among Spanish crossbill populations is in part explained by feeding on different pine species
A1 ALONSO, Daniel
A1 FERNÁNDEZ, Blanca
A1 Edelaar, Pim
A1 ARIZAGA, Juan
K1 Ecological specialization
K1 Evolution
K1 Loxia
K1 Morphological diversification
K1 Pinus
K1 Population differentiation
AB Crossbills (Loxia spp.) provide a classical avian model of ecological specialization on food resources. Previous studies have suggested that morphometric, genetic and vocal diversification among Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra populations is better explained by ecological distance (use of different conifers) than by geographical distance, indicating that populations have diverged adaptatively. We tested for adaptive divergence in Iberian crossbills using bill and body size measurements of 6082 crossbills from 27 sites, each consisting of a dominant or single pine (Pinus) of four possible species. Crossbills using different pines differed significantly in body size and bill size and shape. There was no correlation between geographical and morphological distance among sampling sites, consistent with the hypothesis that the morphological divergence of Iberian crossbills is shaped by their ecological differences (foraging on alternative conifers) rather than geographical distance. However, for unknown reasons, Common Crossbills foraging on Pinus sylvestris in Iberia have on average much smaller bills than Parrot Crossbills Loxia pytyopsittacus feeding on the same pine species in northern Europe. The extent to which crossbills specialize on Iberian P. sylvestris remains to be established. Specialization on conifers with overlapping geographical distributions may be facilitated by matching habitat choice of crossbills as a function of their local intake rates.
PB Wiley
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/19813
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/19813
LA en
NO IBIS 162:1279–1291.
NO The data used in this work are available under request to the authors.
NO Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica
DS RIO
RD May 24, 2026