North African hybrid sparrows (Passer domesticus, P. hispaniolensis) back from oblivion – ecological segregation and asymmetric mitochondrial introgression between parental species

0461397 - ÚBO 2017 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Belkacem, A. A. - Gast, Oliver - Stuckas, H. - Canal, D. - LoValvo, M. - Giacalone, G. - Päckert, M.
North African hybrid sparrows (Passer domesticus, P. hispaniolensis) back from oblivion – ecological segregation and asymmetric mitochondrial introgression between parental species.
Ecology and Evolution. Roč. 6, č. 15 (2016), s. 5190-5206. ISSN 2045-7758. E-ISSN 2045-7758
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : Agricultural landscape mosaic * Algeria * breeding phenology * NADH dehydrogenase * nest site choice
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
Impact factor: 2.440, year: 2016

A stabilized hybrid form of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the
Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis) is known as Passer italiae from the Italian
Peninsula and a few Mediterranean islands. The growing attention for the Italian
hybrid sparrow and increasing knowledge on its biology and genetic constitution
greatly contrast the complete lack of knowledge of the long-known
phenotypical hybrid sparrow populations from North Africa. Our study provides
new data on the breeding biology and variation of mitochondrial DNA in
three Algerian populations of house sparrows, Spanish sparrows, and phenotypical
hybrids. In two field seasons, the two species occupied different breeding
habitats: Spanish sparrows were only found in rural areas outside the cities and
bred in open-cup nests built in large jujube bushes. In contrast, house sparrows
bred only in the town centers and occupied nesting holes in walls of buildings.
Phenotypical hybrids were always associated with house sparrow populations.
House sparrows and phenotypical hybrids started breeding mid of March, and
most pairs had three successive clutches, whereas Spanish sparrows started
breeding almost one month later and had only two successive clutches. Mitochondrial introgression is strongly asymmetric because about 75% of the rural
Spanish sparrow population carried house sparrow haplotypes. In contrast,
populations of the Italian hybrid form, P. italiae, were genetically least diverse
among all study populations and showed a near-fixation of house sparrow haplotypes
that elsewhere were extremely rare or that were even unique for the Italian
Peninsula. Such differences between mitochondrial gene pools of Italian and
North African hybrid sparrow populations provide first evidence that different
demographic histories have shaped the extant genetic diversity observed on
both continents.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0260998