Demographic history and genomic diversity and divergence in blue tit populations across heterogeneous environments

Understanding the genomic processes underlying local adaptation is a central aim of modern evolutionary biology. This task requires identifying footprints of local selection but also estimating spatio-temporal variation in population demography and variation in recombination rate and diversity along the genome. Here, we investigated these parameters in blue tit populations inhabiting deciduous versus evergreen forests and insular versus mainland areas, in the context of a previously described strong phenotypic differentiation. Neighboring population pairs of deciduous and evergreen habitats were weakly genetically differentiated (FST = 0.004 on average), nevertheless with a statistically significant effect of habitat type on the overall genetic structure. This low differentiation was consistent with the strong and long-lasting gene flow between populations, inferred by demographic modeling. In turn, insular and mainland populations were moderately differentiated (FST = 0.08 on average),...