Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

Conservation of Declining Populations

Conservation of Declining Populations

Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Low but highly geographically structured genomic diversity of East Asian Eurasian otters and its conservation implications.

Evolutionary applications·2024

Same author

Morphological variations in a widely distributed Eastern Asian passerine cannot be consistently explained by ecogeographic rules.

Ecology and evolution·2021

Same author

Not out of the woods yet: Signatures of the prolonged negative genetic consequences of a population bottleneck in a rapidly re-expanding wader, the black-faced spoonbill Platalea minor.

Molecular ecology·2021

Same author

Egg recognition abilities of tit species in the Paridae family: do Indomalayan tits exhibit higher recognition than Palearctic tits?

Zoological research·2020

Same author

Responses of cuckoo hosts to alarm signals of different nest intruders in non-nesting areas.

Zoological research·2020

Same author

TLR7 mediates increased vulnerability to ischemic acute kidney injury in diabetes.

Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)·2019

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Climate niche differentiation between two passerines despite ongoing gene flow.

Pei-Jen L Shaner¹, Tzu-Hsuan Tsao¹, Rong-Chien Lin¹

¹Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan.

The Journal of Animal Ecology

|January 14, 2015

Summary

Two closely related parrotbill species in East Asia maintain distinct climate niches despite ongoing gene flow, suggesting ecology plays a key role in avian diversification.

Keywords:

divergence with gene flow ecological niche modelling niche evolution parapatry secondary contact speciation

More Related Videos

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

Incremental Temperature Changes for Maximal Breeding and Spawning in Astyanax mexicanus

Incremental Temperature Changes for Maximal Breeding and Spawning in Astyanax mexicanus

Published on: February 14, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

Incremental Temperature Changes for Maximal Breeding and Spawning in Astyanax mexicanus

Incremental Temperature Changes for Maximal Breeding and Spawning in Astyanax mexicanus

Published on: February 14, 2021

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Ornithology

Background:

Niche evolution drives biodiversity, but niche conservatism and the role of ecology in niche evolution are debated.
Understanding niche evolution is crucial for explaining species diversification.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate climate niche conservatism in two closely related East Asian parrotbill species: the vinous-throated parrotbill (Paradoxornis webbianus) and the ashy-throated parrotbill (P. alphonsianus).
To determine if ecological differences persist despite potential secondary contact and ongoing gene flow.

Main Methods:

Ecological niche models were used to define potential allopatric and sympatric regions for both species.
Niche overlap indices and multivariate statistical analyses compared climate niche differences.
Polymorphism data from 44 nuclear genes were analyzed to infer divergence demography.

Main Results:

Both parrotbill species occupy distinct climate niches in their allopatric and potential sympatric regions.
Niche differences in the potential sympatric region suggest a genetic basis, not solely phenotypic plasticity.
Genetic analyses indicated substantial gene flow between the parrotbills since a secondary contact approximately 290,000 years ago.

Conclusions:

Climate niches may not homogenize in nascent species, even with significant ongoing gene flow.
Ecology likely plays a role in promoting and maintaining diversification among incipient species.
This study provides an empirical example of niche divergence contributing to avian biodiversity.