Divergence, gene flow, and the speciation continuum in Beringia
Beringia is a dynamic landscape. Over the course of the past two million years, glacial cycles have repeatedly created, then severed, the link between North America and Eurasia. How has this impacted the development of divergence between bird taxa that call this region home?
For my MS thesis, I investigated this question in 9 lineages of Beringian birds, and found that gene flow has been a constant influence in the region. However, it’s not linked to how phenotypically distinct taxa are, and is either at frequent and pervasive, or vanishingly rare, with no in-between.
I continue to collaborate with my MS advisor, Dr. Kevin Winker, as his group works to expand sampling to more taxa in this fascinating region.
