Hybridization of Atlantic puffins in the Arctic coincides with 20th-century climate change

• Main Authors: Kersten, Oliver Sven, Star, Bastiaan, Krabberød, Anders Kristian, Atmore, Lane, Tørresen, Ole K., Anker-Nilssen, Tycho, Descamps, Sebastien, Strøm, Hallvard, Johansson, Ulf S., Sweet, Paul R., Jakobsen, Kjetill Sigurd, Boessenkool, Sanne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: genetics; Fratercula arctica; VDP::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480; VDP::Zoology and botany: 480; VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Basale biofag: 470::Genetikk og genomikk: 474; Arctic; Bjørnøya; Norway; Climate change; fratercula
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3096357; https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh140

The Arctic is experiencingthe fastest rates of globalwarming,leadingto shiftsin the distributionof its biotaandincreasingthe potentialfor hybridization. However, genomicevidenceof recenthybridization events in theArctic remainsunexpectedlyrare. Here, we use whole-genomesequencingof contemporary and 122-year-oldhistoricalspecimensto investigate the originof an Arctic hybridpopulation of Atlanticpuffins(Fr aterculaarctica)on Bjørnøya, Norway. We show that the hybridization between the High Arctic, large-bodiedsubspeciesF. a. naumanniand the temperate, smaller-sizedsubspeciesF. a. arcticabeganas recentlyas six generationsagodue to an unexpectedsouthward rangeexpansionofF. a. naumanni.Moreover, we find a significanttemporalloss of geneticdiversityacross Arctic and temperate puffinpopulations.Our observationsprovide compellinggenomicevidenceof the impacts of recentdistributionalshiftsand loss of diversityin Arctic communitiesduringthe 20th century. publishedVersion