| sexual dimorphism in melanin pigmentation, feather coloration and its heritability in the barn swallow (hirundo rustica). | melanin is the main pigment in animal coloration and considerable variation in the concentrations of the two melanin forms (pheo- and eumlanin) in pigmented tissues exists among populations and individuals. melanin-based coloration is receiving increasing attention particularly in socio-sexual communication contexts because the melanocortin system has been hypothesized to provide a mechanistic basis for covariation between coloration and fitness traits. however, with few notable exceptions, litt ... | 2013 | 23469134 |
| population genetics and morphological comparisons of migratory european (hirundo rustica rustica) and sedentary east-mediterranean (hirundo rustica transitiva) barn swallows. | speciation processes are largely determined by the relative strength of divergent selection versus the magnitude of gene flow. the barn swallow (hirundo rustica) has a broad geographic distribution that encompasses substantial geographic variation in morphology and behavior. the european (h. r. rustica) and east-mediterranean (h. r. transitiva) subspecies are closely related, despite differing in morphological and life-history traits. to explore patterns of genetic differentiation and gene flow, ... | 2011 | 22071313 |