Meeting Abstract
Speciation is a central issue in evolutionary biology, and the study of genomic mediators of speciation has emerged in recent years with advances in DNA sequencing techniques. These studies often uncover heterogeneous patterns of genetic differentiation, but the interpretation of these patterns remains controversial. Do regions of high differentiation contain “barrier loci” that reduce gene flow between the species, or do they reflect low variation resulting from within-species selection? Here, we document patterns of genetic differentiation between two hybridizing bird species, Anna’s and Costa’s hummingbirds, using whole-genome sequence data. By comparing differentiation between sympatric and allopatric populations, we aim to identify regions of the genome that contribute to reproductive barriers, and quantify the influence of hybridization on the genome of each species. These results will increase our understanding of the complex process of speciation.
