Data from: The role of history and ecology as drivers of song divergence in Bell’s and Sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza, Aves: Passerellidae)

Bell’s and Sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza belli and A. nevadensis) are phenotypically and genetically distinct, but data have yielded contradictory findings for A. belli subspecies. Disjunct populations of A. b. canescens from the San Joaquin Valley and Mojave Desert are phenotypically indistinguishable but diagnosable from Coast Range A. b. belli. However, San Joaquin Valley A. b. canescens shares allozymes and mtDNA with A. b. belli whereas Mojave Desert A. b. canescens is genetically distinct. Furthermore, Great Basin A. nevadensis is closer in mtDNA to non-desert A. belli subspecies than to Mojave Desert A. b. canescens, with whom it contacts across an aridland transition. We assessed concordance of song with genetics and phenotype for these taxa, and also analyzed songs and mtDNA for A. b. clementeae which is endemic to arid San Clemente Island off the coast of southern California. Songs of open, arid habitat populations (A. nevadensis, A. b. canescens, A. b. clementeae) are consistently more similar to each other than they are to songs of coastal A. b. belli. We examined bioclimatic and land cover conditions to understand the basis for these patterns across ecoregions, and discuss the effect of the acoustic environment on song.贝尔氏灌丛雀（Bell’s Sparrow，Artemisiospiza belli）与艾草灌丛雀（Sagebrush Sparrow，A. nevadensis）在表型与遗传层面均存在显著分化，但现有研究数据针对A. belli的亚种却得出了相互矛盾的结论。分布于圣华金谷与莫哈韦沙漠的间断种群A. b. canescens，其表型特征无法与其他同类群区分，但可通过分类特征与海岸山脉的A. b. belli亚种进行鉴定区分。然而，圣华金谷的A. b. canescens与A. b. belli共享同功酶（allozymes）与线粒体DNA（mtDNA），而莫哈韦沙漠的A. b. canescens则在遗传层面呈现显著分化。此外，大盆地的A. nevadensis的线粒体DNA与非沙漠分布的A. belli亚种更为接近，而非与它在干旱生境过渡带存在分布接触的莫哈韦沙漠A. b. canescens。本研究针对上述类群，评估了鸣唱特征与遗传、表型的一致性；同时还针对栖息于南加州外海干旱圣克莱门特岛的特有亚种A. b. clementeae，分析了其鸣唱与线粒体DNA特征。开阔干旱生境种群（包括A. nevadensis、A. b. canescens与A. b. clementeae）的鸣唱特征，始终比它们与海岸分布的A. b. belli的鸣唱更为相似。本研究还调查了生物气候与土地覆被状况，以解析不同生态区中上述模式的形成机制，并探讨了声学环境对鸣唱特征的影响。