Sahara Rock Doves

This project aims to test the existence of a vanished hybrid zone in the Sahara Desert using whole genome sequences of six historical rock dove specimens from non-sampled populations from the Sahara and West Africa. Combining this new data with existing rock dove datasets offers a unique opportunity to explore the population dynamics and genetic consequences of hybrid zones, reveal demographic dynamics in the Sahara, distribution shifts, and the hybrid zone's potential location and extent.