Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient

Understanding the evolutionary processes that influence the distribution of genetic diversity in natural populations is a key issue in evolutionary biology. Both species' distribution ranges and environmental gradients can influence this diversity through mechanisms such as gene flow, selection...

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Main Authors: Marcela Restrepo-Arias, Héctor F. Rivera-Gutiérrez, Iván Darío Soto-Calderón, Ernesto Pérez-Collazos, Catalina González-Quevedo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-09-01
Series:Avian Research
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716625000581
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author Marcela Restrepo-Arias
Héctor F. Rivera-Gutiérrez
Iván Darío Soto-Calderón
Ernesto Pérez-Collazos
Catalina González-Quevedo
author_facet Marcela Restrepo-Arias
Héctor F. Rivera-Gutiérrez
Iván Darío Soto-Calderón
Ernesto Pérez-Collazos
Catalina González-Quevedo
author_sort Marcela Restrepo-Arias
collection DOAJ
description Understanding the evolutionary processes that influence the distribution of genetic diversity in natural populations is a key issue in evolutionary biology. Both species' distribution ranges and environmental gradients can influence this diversity through mechanisms such as gene flow, selection, and genetic drift. To explore how these forces interact, we assessed neutral and adaptive genetic variation in three widely distributed and two narrowly distributed bird species co-occurring along the Cauca River canyon in Antioquia, Colombia—a region of pronounced environmental heterogeneity. We sampled individuals across eight sites spanning the canyon's gradient and analyzed genetic diversity and structure using microsatellites and toll-like receptors (TLRs), a gene family involved in innate immunity. Widely distributed species consistently exhibited higher genetic diversity at both marker types compared to their narrowly distributed counterparts. Although we did not find a significant relationship between microsatellite heterozygosity and TLR heterozygosity, we evidenced a negative trend for widely distributed species and a positive trend for narrowly distributed species. This result suggests that there is a stronger effect of genetic drift in narrowly distributed species. Our results highlight the role of distribution range in maintaining genetic diversity and suggest that environmental gradients, by interacting with gene flow and selection, may influence patterns of adaptive variation.
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spelling doaj-art-c9b24a95e6dd40b5bd6668bffccde77e2025-08-20T02:47:25ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Avian Research2053-71662025-09-0116310027910.1016/j.avrs.2025.100279Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradientMarcela Restrepo-Arias0Héctor F. Rivera-Gutiérrez1Iván Darío Soto-Calderón2Ernesto Pérez-Collazos3Catalina González-Quevedo4Grupo de Ecología y Evolución de Vertebrados, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, ColombiaGrupo de Ecología y Evolución de Vertebrados, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, ColombiaLaboratorio de Genética Animal, Grupo de Agrociencias, Biodiversidad y Territorio, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, ColombiaDepartamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Universidad de Zaragoza, Huesca, SpainGrupo de Ecología y Evolución de Vertebrados, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; Corresponding author.Understanding the evolutionary processes that influence the distribution of genetic diversity in natural populations is a key issue in evolutionary biology. Both species' distribution ranges and environmental gradients can influence this diversity through mechanisms such as gene flow, selection, and genetic drift. To explore how these forces interact, we assessed neutral and adaptive genetic variation in three widely distributed and two narrowly distributed bird species co-occurring along the Cauca River canyon in Antioquia, Colombia—a region of pronounced environmental heterogeneity. We sampled individuals across eight sites spanning the canyon's gradient and analyzed genetic diversity and structure using microsatellites and toll-like receptors (TLRs), a gene family involved in innate immunity. Widely distributed species consistently exhibited higher genetic diversity at both marker types compared to their narrowly distributed counterparts. Although we did not find a significant relationship between microsatellite heterozygosity and TLR heterozygosity, we evidenced a negative trend for widely distributed species and a positive trend for narrowly distributed species. This result suggests that there is a stronger effect of genetic drift in narrowly distributed species. Our results highlight the role of distribution range in maintaining genetic diversity and suggest that environmental gradients, by interacting with gene flow and selection, may influence patterns of adaptive variation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716625000581Adaptive genetic diversityMicrosatellitesNeutral genetic diversityRestricted distributionToll-like receptorWide distribution
spellingShingle Marcela Restrepo-Arias
Héctor F. Rivera-Gutiérrez
Iván Darío Soto-Calderón
Ernesto Pérez-Collazos
Catalina González-Quevedo
Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
Avian Research
Adaptive genetic diversity
Microsatellites
Neutral genetic diversity
Restricted distribution
Toll-like receptor
Wide distribution
title Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
title_full Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
title_fullStr Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
title_full_unstemmed Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
title_short Patterns of genetic diversity in five species of Passeriformes co-distributed in an environmental gradient
title_sort patterns of genetic diversity in five species of passeriformes co distributed in an environmental gradient
topic Adaptive genetic diversity
Microsatellites
Neutral genetic diversity
Restricted distribution
Toll-like receptor
Wide distribution
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716625000581
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