Tracking historical genetic diversity changes in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) using biol

Principal researcher: Martin Päckert

Period: 2008-2011

Climate change is one of the major driving forces for adaptive shifts in migration and breeding phenology, and possibly impacts demographic changes if a species fails to adapt sufficiently. In Western Europe, pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) have insufficiently adapted their breeding phenology to the ongoing advance of food peaks within their breeding area, and consequently suffered local population declines. Here, we will test for potential effects of global change on the genetic architecture of populations using two neutral marker sets (mitochondrial control region and microsatellites) and one potentially selectively non-neutral marker (avian clock gene). We will use current and historic samples from six European pied flycatcher populations (Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands), covering a large part of the species’ breeding range.

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