Estimating the frequency of hybridization is important to understand its evolutionary consequences and its effects on conservation efforts. In this study, we examined the extent of hybridization in two sister species of ducks that hybridize. We used mitochondrial control region sequences and 3589 double‐digest restriction‐associated DNA sequences (dd RAD seq) to identify admixture between wild lesser scaup ( Aythya affinis ) a...

Many species have Holarctic distributions that extend across Europe, Asia and North America. Most genetics research on these species has examined only mitochondrial (mt) DNA , which has revealed wide variance in divergence between Old World ( OW ) and New World ( NW ) populations, ranging from shallow, unstructured genealogies to deeply divergent lineages. In this study, we sequenced 20 nuclear introns to test for concordant p...

Aim To examine the history of diversification of ‘blue’ cardinalids (Cardinalidae) across North and South America. Location North America (including Middle America) and South America. Methods We collected 163 individuals of the 14 species of blue cardinalids and generated multilocus sequence data (3193 base pairs from one mitochondrial and three nuclear genes) to infer phylogeographical structure and reconstruct time‐calibrate...

Aim Glacial cycles had a major influence on the distribution of high‐latitude species, and while genetic consequences of these cycles have been well studied in the Circumpolar North, notably fewer studies have been undertaken in the Antarctic. Here, we use multilocus genetic data from the South Georgia pintail ( Anas georgica georgica ) as a proxy to study the presence and timing of ice‐free refugia on South Georgia, a glaciat...

Aim The oriental magpie‐robin ( Copsychus saularis ) of South and Southeast Asia is a phenotypically variable species that appears to be closely related to two endemic species of the western Indian Ocean: the Madagascar magpie‐robin ( Copsychus albospecularis ) and the Seychelles magpie‐robin ( Copsychus sechellarum ). This unusual distribution led us to examine evolutionary relationships in magpie‐robins, and also the taxonom...