2

Testing the strength and direction of selection on vocal frequency using metabolic scaling theory

First, we demonstrate that Metabolic Theory of Ecology predicts the relationship between the natural log of body size and natural log of vocal frequency across 795 bird species, controlling for phylogeny...

Sex‐linked genetic diversity and differentiation in a globally distributed avian species complex

To test hypotheses and predictions about patterns of autosomal and sex-linked genomic diversity and differentiation, we measured population genetic statistics within and between populations and subspecies of the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) and performed explicit comparisons between autosomal and Z-linked genomic regions...

Analysis of female song provides insight into the evolution of sex differences in a widely studied songbird

Understanding the patterns and processes related to sexual dimorphism and sex differences in diverse animal taxa is a foundational research topic in ecology and evolution. Within the realm of animal communication, studies have traditionally focused …

Migratory divides coincide with reproductive barriers across replicated avian hybrid zones above the Tibetan Plateau

Migratory divides are proposed to be catalysts for speciation across a diversity of taxa. However, it is difficult to test the relative contributions of migratory behaviour vs. other divergent traits to reproductive isolation. Comparing hybrid zones …

Selection on multiple sexual signals in two Central and Eastern European populations of the barn swallow

Dynamic changes in display architecture and function across environments revealed by a systems approach to animal communication*

Animal communication is often structurally complex and dynamic, with signaler and receiver behavior varying in response to multiple environmental factors. To date, studies assessing signal dynamics have mostly focused on the relationships between …

Global song divergence in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica): exploring the roles of genetic, geographical and climatic distance in sympatry and allopatry

Divergence in acoustic signals plays an important role in the production and maintenance of biodiversity in numerous taxa. In this study, we assess patterns of acoustic divergence in geographically isolated and sympatric subspecies of barn swallows …

Genomic variation across two barn swallow hybrid zones reveals traits associated with divergence in sympatry and allopatry

Hybrid zones are geographic regions where isolating barriers between divergent populations are challenged by admixture. Identifying factors that facilitate or inhibit hybridization in sympatry can illuminate the processes that maintain those …

The importance of cross-validation, accuracy, and precision for measuring plumage color: A comment on Vaquero-Alba et al. (2016)

Phenotypic differentiation is associated with divergent sexual selection among closely related barn swallow populations

Sexual selection plays a key role in the diversification of numerous animal clades and may accelerate trait divergence during speciation. However, much of our understanding of this process comes from phylogenetic com- parative studies, which rely on …