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Science 27 August 1999:
Vol. 285. no. 5432, pp. 1399 - 1402
DOI: 10.1126/science.285.5432.1399
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Reports

Selection-Based Biodiversity at a Small Spatial Scale in a Low-Dispersing Insular Bird

Jacques Blondel, * Paula C. Dias, Philippe Perret, Marie Maistre, Marcel M. Lambrechts

The blue tit is a highly mobile small passerine found in deciduous and evergreen oaks. In mainland populations, gene flow results in local maladaptive timing of breeding in evergreen oak forests, the rarer habitat. However, on the island of Corsica, two populations only 25 kilometers apart are highly specialized and differ between the two habitat types in breeding and morphological traits. In contrast to theoretical predictions about the homogenizing effects of gene flow, this highlights evolutionary consequences of habitat diversification and isolation at a small spatial scale in insular organisms, which should be taken into account in conservation policies.

Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: blondel{at}cefe.cnrs-mop.fr

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)