Morphological bluethroat dataset

In temperate mountain ranges, sharp spatial variations in habitat heterogeneity and climate provide a perfect study setup to assess genetic and phenotypic differentiation in bird populations. In this paper, we analyzed morphological divergence patterns across geographic and environmental gradients, in correlation with genetic differentiation and geographic isolation, in the breeding grounds of a long-distance migrant passerine.

Location

NorthWestern Iberian mountains.

Major taxa studied

Iberian bluethroat, Luscina svecica azuricollis.

Methods

We collected a sample of 625 Iberian bluethroats across their whole breeding distribution area to measure body weight and tarsus length, as well as wing length and pointedness. Morphological differentiation across geographic (latitude and altitude) and environmental (climate and vegetation) gradients was assessed using GLMMs. Additionally, the role of genetic distance and geographic isolation as drivers of morphological differenti...