RAD-seq data for Makira Myzomela (M. tristrami, M. cardinalis, and hybrids)

This study aimed to identify genomic regions associated with speciation and plumage divergence in hybridizing honeyeaters on the island of Makira, Solomon Islands. In the process, we discovered a neo-sex chromosome, the 2nd known example in birds. Loci associated with plumage phenotype mapped disproportionately to the neo-sex chromosome. Likewise, the neo-sex chromosome featured elevated divergence (Fst, Dxy) between species, consistent with it having a disproportionate role in speciation in this system. These results provide clear and novel support for long-standing theories of evolutionary genetics and sex chromosome evolution.