Genomic data reveal the biogeographic and demographic history of Ammospiza sparrows in northeast tidal marshes

Aim: Shaped by both climate change and sea-level rise, tidal salt marshes represent ephemeral systems that are home to only a few, highly specialized species. The dynamic ecological histories and spatial complexities of these habitats, however, render it challenging to reconstruct the complete biogeographic histories of their endemic taxa. Here, we leverage three species of North American Ammospiza sparrows that inhabit tidal marshes ( Ammospiza caudacuta, A. maritima, and A. n. subvirgatus) and closely related freshwater species to demonstrate the utility of whole-genome data in resolving demographic and evolutionary history as it relates to divergence and dispersal events in ephemeral ecosystems. We employ a combination of demographic and biogeographic reconstructions to shed new light on the colonization history of freshwater-saline environments in this system.

Location: North America

Taxon: Ammospiza Sparrows

Methods: We sequenced whole genomes from Ammospiza sparrows to a...