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Genetic analysis of brown‐headed cowbirds Molothrus ater raised by different hosts: data from mtDNA and microsatellite DNA markers
Author(s) -
Gibbs H. L.,
Miller P.,
Alderson G.,
Sealy S. G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.1997.00171.x
Subject(s) - cowbird , biology , brood parasite , microsatellite , mitochondrial dna , host (biology) , genetics , evolutionary biology , generalist and specialist species , genetic marker , parasitism , ecology , gene , allele , habitat
Ecological and behavioural data suggest that female brood parasitic brown‐headed cowbirds Molothrus ater are host generalists; this predicts that there should be no genetically differentiated host races within cowbird populations. We tested this hypothesis by comparing differentiation in two rapidly evolving DNA markers (mtDNA control region sequence and nuclear DNA microsatellite loci) among unrelated cowbird chicks raised by two ecologically distinct hosts. No differentiation was observed in either marker supporting the absence of host race hypothesis.