Are Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) populations of the low mountain ranges remnants of a broader distribution in the past?

• Published in: Journal of Ornithology
• Main Authors: Bacht, M., Rösner, S., Müller, J., Pfeifer, R., Stadler, Jutta, Brandl, R., Opgenoorth, L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2013
• Subjects: Arctic; Arktis*
• Online Access: https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=13489; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-012-0889-0

The Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) has an arctic–alpine distribution, with small populations also occurring at the higher altitudes of the low mountain ranges north of the Alps. The populations of the Alps and mountain ranges are classified as the subspecies T. torquatus alpestris, and those of the northern populations as T. torquatus torquatus. Since birds are mobile when, e.g., compared to mammals of the same size, it is likely that the populations in the low mountain ranges originated from dispersal events after the last ice age. We analyzed an mtDNA fragment of Ring Ouzel museum specimens from across Europe. We found a shallow gene tree with little differentiation between the subspecies and therefore incomplete lineage sorting. However, both, subspecies as well as low mountain range populations were characterized by private alleles respectively. Furthermore, when we grouped sequenced specimens according to their origin in an alpine group, a group from the low mountain ranges, and two northern groups, we found significant differentiation between the alpine and the low mountain range group, similar to the difference between the alpine and the two northern groups. This suggests an origin of populations on the low mountain ranges similar to that of the arctic–alpine disjunction, and that these populations are remnants of a broader distribution in the past.Zusammenfassung Populationen der Ringdrossel ( Turdus torquatus ) in europäischen Mittelgebirgen: Reste einer einst weiteren Verbreitung? Die Ringdrossel (Turdus torquatus) zeigt eine arktisch-alpine Verbreitung mit kleinen Populationen in höheren Lagen europäischer Mittelgebirge. Die Populationen der Alpen und der Mittelgebirge werden als Alpenringdrossel (Turdus torquatus alpestris), die nordischen Populationen dagegen als Nordische Ringdrossel (Turdus torquatus torquatus) bezeichnet. Da Vögel im Vergleich zu Säugetieren verhältnismäßig mobil sind, stellt sich die Frage, ob die Populationen in den Mittelgebirgen durch Ausbreitungsereignisse nach der letzten ...