Biology subjects

Winger, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Winger, B..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

The spatiotemporal effects of seasonal migration on passerine phylogenetic community structure

O_LISeasonal migration in birds involves a substantial spatial redistribution of avian biodiversity each year and drives seasonal changes in community composition. Migrants experience different combinations of species interactions over space and time, generating regular disassembly and reassembly of bird communities throughout their annual cycles. However, the effects of seasonal migration on phylogenetic community structure remain poorly understood. C_LIO_LIWe assess spatiotemporal variation in phylogenetic community structure of North American passerines to test how seasonal migration restructures the evolutionary relatedness and dominant assembly mechanisms in bird communities throughout the annual cycle. Using distributional projections, we calculated metrics describing the phylogenetic dispersion of passerine communities each week of the year. We then tested the relationship between seasonal turnover in community phylogenetic dispersion and seasonal variation in species richness and proportion of migratory species. C_LIO_LISeasonal migration, by changing spatial patterns of avian diversity, simultaneously drives a complex continental redistribution of phylogenetic community structure. We find evidence of taxonomic scale dependency to our results, wherein throughout North America, the seasonal influx of migrant passerines yields communities that are overall more phylogenetically clustered, yet also exhibit greater phylogenetic overdispersion at smaller taxonomic scales. C_LIO_LISeasonal shifts in phylogenetic dispersion, though complex, track changes in diversity, manifesting as fluctuations in phylogenetic dispersion between northern and southern regions as seasonal migrants move between these regions. Our findings reveal a dynamic continental landscape of phylogenetic community structure directed by the movements of seasonal migrants. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Large inversion polymorphisms are widespread in North American songbirds

The prevalence and evolutionary importance of inversion polymorphisms in natural populations is poorly known because of limited genome-wide sequence data availability for most species. Inversion studies in wild populations usually target rare cases of major trait polymorphisms or local adaptation whose genetic basis involves inversions, creating a strong impression that inversions in nature are generally maintained by natural selection through links to ecologically relevant phenotypes. By contrast, genome-wide studies in humans and model organisms suggest that inversion polymorphisms are common, subject to highly complex evolutionary processes, and generally difficult to link with clearly observable cases of phenotypic variation. Using a large comparative population genomic dataset generated from 35 codistributed species of birds, we tested the hypothesis that inversions are common even within populations that lack known phenotypic polymorphisms. We leveraged analytical methods suitable for low-coverage whole genome sequencing to reveal evidence for over 170 putative inversion polymorphisms within 28 species. We find that many polymorphisms are large and present at balanced frequencies, and some are shared across species boundaries. Yet, most polymorphisms do not deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, raising the possibility that many of these massive haploblocks could be segregating neutrally. Our results thereby reveal evidence that inversions show a variety of complex yet largely hidden patterns in natural populations, beyond cases where they contribute to known variation in ecologically relevant traits. SignificanceInversions are DNA segments that evolve as tightly linked blocks, predisposing them to contribute to phenotypic variation and local adaptation. Studies of inversions in natural populations of non-model species usually involve rare cases where notable trait polymorphisms are controlled by inversions. But how common are inversion polymorphisms that do not mediate known trait variation? We generated population genomic data from 35 codistributed species and show that large inversions are common in passerine birds, despite apparent absence of phenotypic variation and local adaptation in our study populations. Some inversions show patterns suggesting complex evolutionary scenarios, such as balancing selection and shared polymorphism across species, while others may be neutral. Our study reveals that inversions commonly persist in natural populations even without obvious phenotypic variation.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Population genetic consequences of the seasonal migrations of birds

Differences in life history can cause co-distributed species to display discordant population genetic patterns. In high-latitude animals, evolutionary processes may be especially influenced by long-distance seasonal migration, a widespread adaptation to seasonality. Although migratory movements are intuitively linked to dispersal, their evolutionary genetic consequences remain poorly understood. Using [~]1700 genomes from 35 co-distributed boreal-breeding bird species, we reveal that most long-distance migrants exhibit spatial genetic structure, revealing evolutionary effects of philopatry rather than dispersal. We further demonstrate that migration distance and genetic diversity are strongly positively correlated in our study species. This striking relationship suggests that the adaptive seasonal shifts in biogeography that long-distance migratory species undergo each year lends them enhanced population stability that preserves genetic diversity relative to shorter-distance migrants that winter at higher latitudes. Our results suggest that the major impact of long-distance seasonal migration on population genetic evolution occurs through promotion of demographic stability, rather than facilitation of dispersal.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

How Veeries vary: Whole genome sequencing resolves fine-scale genetic structure in a long-distance migratory bird, Catharus fuscescens

Fine-scale resolution of spatial genetic structure is important for understanding a species evolutionary history and contemporary genetic diversity. For high-latitude species with high dispersal ability, such as long-distance migratory birds, populations typically exhibit little genetic structure due to high gene flow and recent postglacial expansion. Some migratory birds, however, show high breeding site fidelity, which might reduce gene flow such that population genetic structure could be detectable with sufficient genomic data. We sequenced over 120 low-coverage whole genomes from across the breeding range of a long-distance migratory bird, the Veery (Catharus fuscescens). As this species breeding range extends across both historically glaciated and unglaciated regions in North America, we evaluated whether contemporary patterns of structure and genetic diversity are consistent with historical population isolation in glacial refugia. We found strong evidence for isolation by distance across the breeding range, as well as significant population structure between southern Appalachian and northern populations. However, patterns of genetic diversity did not support southern Appalachia as a glacial refugium. Resolution of isolation by distance across the breeding range was sufficient to assign likely breeding origins of individuals sampled in this species poorly understood South American nonbreeding range, demonstrating the potential to assess migratory connectivity in this species using genomic data. Overall, our findings suggest that isolation by distance yields subtle associations between genetic structure and geography across the breeding range even in the absence of obvious historical vicariance or contemporary barriers to dispersal.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The evolution of seasonal migration and the slow-fast continuum of life history in birds

Seasonal migration is a widespread adaptation in environments with predictable periods of resource abundance and scarcity. Migration is frequently associated with high mortality, suggesting that migratory species live on the “fast” end of the slow-fast continuum of life history. However, few interspecific comparative studies have tested this assumption and prior assessments have been complicated by environmental variation among breeding locations. We evaluate how migration distance influences the tradeoff between reproduction and survival in 45 species of mostly passerine birds that breed sympatrically in North American boreal forests but migrate to a diversity of environments and latitudes for the northern winter. We find, after accounting for mass and phylogeny, that longer distance migrations to increasingly amenable winter environments are correlated with reduced annual reproductive output, but also result in increased adult survival compared to shorter-distance migrations. Non-migratory boreal species have life history parameters more similar to long-distance migrants than to shorter-distance migrants. These results suggest that long-distance migration and other highly specialized strategies for survival in seasonal environments impose selection pressures that both confer and demand high adult survival rates. That is, owing to the reproductive cost of long-distance migration, this strategy can only persist if balanced by high adult survival. Our results reveal migratory distance as a fundamental life history parameter that predicts, and is inextricable from, the balance of survival and reproduction. Our study further provides evolutionary context for understanding the annual cycle demography of migratory species and the strategies long-distance migrants use to maximize survival on their journeys.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

ecology↗