Genetic and morphometric diversity of the goldcrest (Regulus regulus) populations in the Azores

We studied the genetic diversity and phylogeography of the goldcrest Regulus regulus from the archipelago of the Azores (North Atlantic Ocean) based on sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) and one nuclear gene in the Z-chromosome (intron 9 of the aconitase 1) from 69 individuals, and 41 birds from the Canary Islands and continental Europe for outgroup comparison. To understand the level of concordance between the genetic data and possible morphometric variability, 197 adult living birds from the seven Azorean islands where the species breeds were analysed in terms of eight morphometric characters. Our results are in accordance with previous studies, indicating a recent expansion of goldcrests throughout the archipelago and a low divergence in relation to continental Europe. Within the Azores, there is evidence of historical and/or recent gene flow among the island's populations, revealing a lack of current genetic structure within the archipelago. Only goldcrests from Flores Island seem to be genetically distinct and showed significantly larger body mass and tarsus length than birds on the other islands.     

Disentangling the genetic and morphological structure of Patella candei complex in Macaronesia (NE Atlantic)

The uptake of natural living resources for human consumption has triggered serious changes in the balance of ecosystems. In the archipelagos of Macaronesia (NE Atlantic), limpets have been extensively exploited probably since islands were first colonized. This has led to profound consequences in the dynamics of rocky shore communities. The Patella candei complex includes various subspecies of limpets that are ascribed to a particular archipelago and has been the focus of several taxonomic surveys without much agreement. Under a conservational perspective, we apply morphometric and genetic analyses to test subspecies boundaries in P. candei and to evaluate its current population connectivity throughout Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, and Canaries). A highly significant genetic break between archipelagos following isolation by distance was detected (F_ST = 0.369, p < .001). Contrastingly, significant genetic differentiation among islands (i.e., Azores) was absent possibly indicating ongoing gene flow via larval exchange between populations. Significant shell‐shape differences among archipelagos were also detected using both distance‐based and geometric morphometric analyses. Adaptive processes associated with niche differentiation and strong barriers to gene flow among archipelagos may be the mechanisms underlying P. candei diversification in Macaronesia. Under the very probable assumption that populations of P. candei from each archipelago are geographically and/or ecologically isolated populations, the various subspecies within the P. candei complex may be best thought of as true species using the denomination: P. candei in Selvagens, Patella gomesii in Azores, Patella ordinaria in Madeira, and Patella crenata for Canaries. This would be in agreement with stock delimitation and units of conservation of P. candei sensu latu along Macaronesia.     

Population genetics and conservation of the Azorean tree Picconia azorica

Picconia azorica (Tutin) Knobl. (Oleaceae) is an endangered species, endemic to the Azores. Samples from 31 populations in 8 islands were genotyped using 8 newly developed nuclear microsatellite markers. From the amplified loci, 81% were polymorphic across all populations and the species showed a relatively high total genetic diversity (H_T = 0.7). Several populations were close to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium while others presented positive F_IS values (0.02–0.2). The largest proportion of genetic variation (98%) occurred within populations and the level of differentiation between populations, was generally low, although 27% of the population pairwise comparisons showed relatively high differentiation values (0.25 ≤ R_ST ≤ 0.65). Relatively high levels of gene flow were also found among most populations. Using the Bayesian clustering method implemented in STRUCTURE we found a particular genetic pattern in Corvo samples, and also similarities between Santa Maria, São Miguel and Flores populations. Considerable levels of genetic admixture within P. azorica populations might have resulted from: (i) fruit dispersal by native birds; and/or (ii) human mediated dispersal between islands. Our results revealed the existence of some genetically depauperate populations needing specific conservation measures, and indicate that arbitrary translocation of individuals between islands should be avoided.     

Macaronesian islands as promoters of diversification in amphipods: The remarkable case of the family Hyalidae (Crustacea,Amphipoda)

The north‐east Atlantic (NEA) is an important and complex biogeographic region with a very rich marine fauna. However, little is known about the role of the Macaronesian islands in the evolutionary history and diversification of marine invertebrates in the NEA. Among the amphipods, the members of the family Hyalidae are particularly common and abundant in intertidal rocky shores of NEA. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic structure and diversity of seven hyalid species inhabiting the Macaronesian, European and Moroccan Atlantic coasts, with a focus on the genetic differentiation between island and Continental populations. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I gene, unravelled a very high level of hidden diversity, consisting of 26–32 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), the majority of them recorded in Macaronesian populations. Except for Apohyale stebbingi, all remaining MOTUs were in general allopatrically distributed, with a trend for segregation between islands and Continental populations on one side, but also for the occurrence of private MOTUs among islands. Results indicate distinct evolutionary and diversification patterns among Hyalidae species, but a strong separation between Continental and islands’ lineages appears to be a common feature to all of them. Apparently, the complex geomorphological history of the Macaronesian archipelagos served as an important promoter of extensive diversification of marine invertebrates in NEA, a phenomenon which only now starts to be fully appreciated through the use of molecular data.     

Evolution of the chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs, on the Atlantic Islands

Chaflinches have differentiated within the last million years on the Canary Islands and the Azores. All island populations differ more from mainland relatives than from each other. The characteristics of island birds are large body size, short wings, long legs and beaks, and blue dorsal colour. Beak depth and width have increased on the Azores but not on the Canaries. As a consequence the Azores chaffinch has evolved more in the direction of the Canary Island F. teydea than have Canary Island chaflinches. Character displacement may have occurred on the Canaries. Most of the evolutionary shifts are not predicted from a knowledge of clinal variation on the mainland. Populations have differentiated more on the Canaries than on die Azores, but are less variable regardless of whether ecologically restricted (by teydea) or not. Similarly, within the Azores archipelago the most differentiated populations are die least variable. On the Azores, but not on the Canaries, differentiation increases with isolation, whereas wimin-population variation decreases with isolation and increases with elevation. A model for diese patterns is proposed in terms of gene flow between populations, which reduces differentiation but enhances variation, and directional selection and random genetic processes which have the opposite effects.     

Genetic structure of house mouse (Mus musculus Linnaeus 1758) populations in the Atlantic archipelago of the Azores: colonization and dispersal

We analyzed the genetic structure and relationships of house mouse (Mus musculus) populations in the remote Atlantic archipelago of the Azores using nuclear sequences and microsatellites. We typed Btk and Zfy2 to confirm that the subspecies Mus musculus domesticus was the predominant genome in the archipelago. Nineteen microsatellite loci (one per autosome) were typed in a total of 380 individuals from all nine Azorean islands, the neighbouring Madeiran archipelago (Madeira and Porto Santo islands), and mainland Portugal. Levels of heterozygosity were high on the islands, arguing against population bottlenecking. The Azorean house mouse populations were differentiated from the Portuguese and Madeiran populations and no evidence of recent migration between the three was obtained. Within the Azores, the Eastern, Western, and Central island groups tended to act as separate genetic units for house mice, with some exceptions. In particular, there was evidence of recent migration events among islands of the Central island group, whose populations were relatively undifferentiated. Santa Maria had genetically distinctive mice, which may relate to its colonization history. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London     

Ecomorphological patterns in the Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla: insular versus mainland populations

Capsule Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla populations from the Azores archipelago show morphological differences to continental birds which are consistent with the ‘Island Rule’.

Aims The morphology of insular vertebrates is usually the result of the evolution in their particular environment and leads to predictable morphological patterns, according to the Island Rule. We test the predictions of the Island Rule, using the Blackcap of the Azores archipelago as our model.

Methods We compared morphological variation (body size and wing shape) of populations from the nine islands of the Azores to continental birds, using multivariate indexes. Also, we looked at the relationship between these patterns and possible insular ecological drivers of morphological divergence.

Results Our findings are concordant with Island Rule predictions, as in general birds from the Azores are larger than continental populations, especially birds from the most distant islands. Wing shape also differs significantly, as Azorean Blackcaps tend to have rounder wings than continental birds with a migratory-like phenotype.

Conclusion Overall, we conclude that the observed morphological patterns in Blackcap in the Azores conform in general to the Island Rule predictions.     

Phylogeography of island canary (Serinus canaria) populations

Island canaries (Serinus canaria) are characterised as a species living exclusively on North Atlantic islands, mainly on the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. Although they are very common in their habitats, their behaviour and breeding system has only recently been studied systematically. To advance the understanding of their ecology and to see if the rather isolated archipelagos are already promoting a genetic differentiation, we investigated their phylogeographic relationship as revealed by mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b gene and investigated whether this measure corresponds to morphological characteristics within the islands. Genetic distances were very low throughout the distribution range of the species. Although the variation of genetic distances within the population of Pico (Azores) was larger than that on Madeira and Canary Islands, the genetic distances between island populations were very low throughout which prevented a clear phylogeographic differentiation. Moreover, morphological measurements did not reveal a consistent pattern to reliably separate the populations, although the measures of beak length and body weight revealed a clear island-specific differentiation. These data lead to the assumption that the colonisation of the Atlantic islands by the canaries occurred very recently, while there is no persisting gene flow between the populations.     

Colonization history of atlantic island common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) revealed by mitochondrial DNA

Common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) are thought to have colonized the Atlantic island archipelagoes (the Azores, Madeira, and the Canaries) from neighboring continental populations (Iberia and north Africa) within the last million years. However, colonization may have occurred separately from north Africa to the Canaries and from Iberia to the Azores (as would be predicted geographically) or in one wave from Iberia to the Azores and then to Madeira and the Canaries. These alternatives have different implications for the evolution of morphometric and plumage differentiation in island chaffinches. To determine the most likely colonization route, we estimated the phylogenetic relationships among island and continental subspecies of common chaffinch using sequences from four mtDNA genes (cytochrome b, ATPase 6, NADH 5, and the control region). The most strongly supported mtDNA phylogeny places the continental subspecies together as the sister group to a monophyletic clade containing the island subspecies. This is consistent with a single wave of colonization, and suggests that patterns of similarity among Atlantic island common chaffinches, such as blue pigmentation, short wings, and long tarsi, are due to common colonization history rather than to convergent evolution in a common island environment. However, spectral analysis of phylogenetic splits showed that although monophyly of island haplotypes is favored, there is also substantial support for their polyphyletic origin. We attribute the latter to the confounding effect of homoplasy at multistate sites and to the relatively rapid sequence of colonization events which provided insufficient time for the accumulation of strong phylogenetic signal. These problems are likely to be significant impediments in attempts to test hypotheses of phylogenetic histories of recently evolved populations and taxa.     

Re‐colonization by common eiders Somateria mollissima in the Aleutian Archipelago following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus

Islands provide refuges for populations of many species where they find safety from predators, but the introduction of predators frequently results in elimination or dramatic reductions in island‐dwelling organisms. When predators are removed, re‐colonization for some species occurs naturally, and inter‐island phylogeographic relationships and current movement patterns can illuminate processes of colonization. We studied a case of re‐colonization of common eiders Somateria mollissima following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus in the Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska. We expected common eiders to resume nesting on islands cleared of foxes and to re‐colonize from nearby islets, islands, and island groups. We thus expected common eiders to show limited genetic structure indicative of extensive mixing among island populations. Satellite telemetry was used to record current movement patterns of female common eiders from six islands across three island groups. We collected genetic data from these and other nesting common eiders at 14 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial DNA control region to examine population genetic structure, historical fluctuations in population demography, and gene flow. Our results suggest recent interchange among islands. Analysis of microsatellite data supports satellite telemetry data of increased dispersal of common eiders to nearby areas and little between island groups. Although evidence from mtDNA is suggestive of female dispersal among island groups, gene flow is insufficient to account for recolonization and rapid population growth. Instead, near‐by remnant populations of common eiders contributed substantially to population expansion, without which re‐colonization would have likely occurred at a much lower rate. Genetic and morphometric data of common eiders within one island group two and three decades after re‐colonization suggests reduced movement of eiders among islands and little movement between island groups after populations were re‐established. We predict that re‐colonization of an island group where all common eiders are extirpated could take decades.     

No phylogeographic structure in the circumpolar snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a nomadic species with a circumpolar distribution. It has recently declined in the western Palearctic and may thus be worthy of special consideration for conservation. We investigated genetic structure in three well separated geographic regions within the snowy owls’ breeding range. We sequenced two mitochondrial genes; the control region and cytochrome b, and two Z-chromosome introns; VLDLR-9 and BRM-15. We found no phylogeographic structure among the sampled regions, indicating high levels of gene flow in the recent past and possibly still today. Intra-population diversity did not vary between regions for the control region, but for Cyt b, North American birds had higher haplotype diversity than Scandinavian and eastern Siberian birds. Western Palearctic birds do not seem to be genetically deprived or inbred. Genetic diversity in the snowy owl was not lower than Scandinavian populations of three other owl species: tawny owls (Strix aluco), Tengmalm’s owls (Aegolius funereus) and eagle owls (Bubo bubo).     

Population Genetic Structure and Conservation of the Galápagos Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia)

The Galápagos petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) is endemic to the Galápagos archipelago, where it is known to breed only on five islands. The species has been listed as critically endangered due to habitat deterioration and predation by introduced mammals. Significant morphological and behavioural differences among petrels nesting on different islands suggest that island populations may differ genetically. Furthermore, nesting phenology suggests that genetically differentiated seasonal populations may exist within at least one island. We analysed variation in six microsatellite loci and part of the mitochondrial ATPase 6/8 gene in 206 Galápagos petrels sampled from all five islands. No evidence of genetic structuring within islands was found, although statistical power was low. In contrast, significant differences occurred among island populations. For the microsatellite loci, private alleles occurred at all islands, sometimes at high frequency; global and pairwise estimates of genetic differentiation were all statistically significant; Bayesian analysis of genotypes frequencies provided strong support for three genetic populations; and most estimates of migration between populations did not differ significantly from zero. Only two ATPase haplotypes were found, but the geographic distribution of haplotypes indicated significant differentiation among populations. For conservation purposes, populations from Floreana, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Santiago should be regarded as separate genetic management units. Birds from Isabela appear to be derived recently from the Santiago population, and the population on San Cristóbal appears to be a mixture of birds from other populations. However, considering ecological and behavioural differences among birds from different islands, we recommend that all five populations be protected.     

Playback experiments indicate absence of vocal recognition among temporally and geographically separated populations of Madeiran Storm-petrels Oceanodroma castro

A number of lines of evidence suggest that temporally segregated sympatric populations of Madeiran Storm‐petrels Oceanodroma castro breeding in the Azores are reproductively isolated and morphologically and genetically distinct from each other. Within the Galapagos Islands, similar sympatric populations may also be isolated from each other, as individuals are not known to switch breeding seasons. The taxonomic relationships among populations of this species that are seasonally and spatially separated are unclear and in need of revision. In this study, playback experiments were used to determine the level of vocal response among prospecting Madeiran Storm‐petrels at colonies in the Azores, Galapagos and Cape Verde islands to recordings from different populations. Vocalizations of all populations studied here differ in their structural characteristics and in all but one case prospecting Storm‐petrels showed far greater response to playback of burrow calls from their own colony type than to calls recorded at other seasonally or geographically distinct colonies. Additionally, the level of response to foreign colony types was no different to playback of vocalizations of an unrelated control species present at the same location. Although not all combinations of geographical and seasonal populations could be examined, the finding that prospecting hot‐season (breeding April–August) Storm‐petrels in the Azores did not differ in their response level to playback from Azores cool‐season (breeding August–March) storm‐petrels and Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea is of particular significance and suggests the existence of a pre‐mating isolation mechanism that would prevent interbreeding between these two sympatric populations. Furthermore, Azores hot‐season Storm‐petrels showed a similar absence of response to playback from Galapagos dry‐season (May–July) populations, indicating that they are also taxonomically distant from this group. Madeiran Storm‐petrels in the Cape Verde islands showed a low response rate to Azores hot‐season vocalizations, which did not differ from the response to unrelated controls. These data provide further evidence that the hot‐season Azores population represents a distinct taxon that is reproductively isolated from the sympatrically breeding cool‐season population, as well as from more distant populations in the Cape Verde and Galapagos islands.     

Conservation genetics of the endangered endemic Sambucus palmensis Link (Sambucaceae) from the Canary Islands

Five polymorphic microsatellites (simple sequence repeat; SSR) markers were used to estimate the levels of genetic variation within and among natural populations from different islands of the endangered endemic from the Canary Islands Sambucus palmensis Link (Sambucaceae). Genetic data were used to infer potential evolutionary processes that could have led to present genetic differentiation among islands. The levels of genetic variability of S. palmensis were considerably high; proportion of polymorphic loci (P = 100%), mean number of alleles per locus (A = 6.8), average expected heterozygosity (He = 0.499). In spite of its small population size and endemic character, 58 different multilocus genotypes were detected within the 165 individuals analyzed. All samples located in different islands always presented different multilocus genotypes. Principal Coordinates Analysis, genetic differentiation analysis (F _ST and G _ST ′) and Bayesian Cluster Analysis revealed significant genetic differences among populations located in different islands. However, this genetic differentiation was not recorded among Tenerife and La Gomera populations, possibly revealing the uncontrolled transfer of material between both islands. AMOVA analysis attributed 77% of the variance to differences within populations, whereas 8% was distributed between islands. The levels of genetic differentiation observed among populations, and the genetic diversity distribution within populations in S. palmensis, indicate that management should aim to conserve as many of the small populations as possible. Concentrating conservation efforts only on the few large populations would result in the likelihood of loss of genetic variability for the species.     

MORPHOMETRIC VARIABILITY IN CONTINENTAL AND ATLANTIC ISLAND POPULATIONS OF CHAFFINCHES (FRINGILLA COELEBS)

The magnitudes of phenotypic variances in peripherally isolated populations of common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) in the Azores, Madeira, and Canaries relative to their continental source populations in Iberia and Morocco have played a pivotal role in the formulation of competing hypotheses of phenotypic evolution in these isolates. Because Van Valen's niche variation hypothesis and Grant's model of island evolution were based on museum skins prone to measurement error and temporal variation, we re-examined the patterns of phenotypic variability using more precise skeletal measurements from freshly collected specimens. Levene's tests showed that univariate character variances were homogeneous in all island and continental populations, although there was a consistent trend for the magnitude of the variances to be lower for all characters in all Canary island populations. Multivariate Levene's tests, however, revealed significantly reduced total variances in the Hierro and Madeira populations compared to some Azores and continental populations. The Azores and continental populations did not differ in variability, and lower variances in the Canaries were not related to the presence or absence of the congeneric blue chaffinch (F. teydea), contrary to the predictions of Van Valen's niche variation hypothesis. Population variability was not inversely related to differentiation or isolation within the Azores or Canaries archipelagoes, opposite to the association reported by Grant. Our results also differ from both previous studies which reported much larger differences in population variabilities, and this likely reflects the use of heterogeneous samples of museum specimens, less precise external characters, and the use of tests sensitive to sample size. Differentiation among populations has been markedly greater in the Canary islands, implicating founder events and possibly historically stronger directional selection as determinants of this enhanced divergence relative to the Azores. These variance-reducing processes are unlikely to explain current lower levels of phenotypic variability because there has been sufficient time since colonization for replenishment of variability in polygenic characters. Average heterozygosities at putatively neutral allozyme loci are 1.6 times higher in the Azores compared to the Canaries, and support the view that effective population sizes are smaller in the latter archipelago. We argue that reduced variances in the Canary island populations represent lower equilibrium levels maintained by drift and mutation in populations with smaller long-term effective sizes, consistent with Lynch and Hill's neutral model of phenotypic evolution. Although episodes of selection in the past may have been interspersed with long periods of effective neutralism and drift, adaptationist hypotheses invoking a primary role for variance-reducing selection appear to be unwarranted.     

Are European starlings breeding in the Azores archipelago genetically distinct from birds breeding in mainland Europe?

The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) has recently been found to eat eggs of the endangered roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) in the Azores. Azorean starlings are considered an endemic subspecies (S. vulgaris granti), so we investigated how much genetic divergence has accumulated between the Azores and other European populations in order to assess whether lethal control measures might be possible, as previous experiments have found that taste aversion is not likely to be successful. For this purpose, we sequenced a region of the protein-coding mitochondrial gene ND2 for samples from six different populations. Of the 1,026 base pairs sequenced, 19 (1.7%) were variable and formed 15 different haplotypes. The Azores had high and significant genetic differentiation from all the other populations studied. Haplotype diversity was high in the mainland populations studied, ranging from 0.767 to 0.900, but there was no variation among the Azores samples, which were collected from a geographically broad region. Given the lack of genetic variability in the Azores birds and their abundance throughout the archipelago, lethal control on a local basis and as part of an integrated control plan can be seen as a reasonable measure to protect tern colonies.     

Genetic differentiation reflects geological history in the Azorean land snail,Leptaxis azorica

The land snail Leptaxis azorica, endemic on the Azores, was subjected to an electrophoretic (allozymes) and morphometric (genital tract) analysis. Genetic distances suggest the presence of four distinct lineages and are compatible with colonisation proceeding from the eastern, older islands (Santa Maria and S?o Miguel) to the west (Flores and Corvo). On S?o Miguel, genetic and morphometric differentiation is concordant with the separate colonisation of two islands that gave rise to the current island 50,000 years ago. The maximum time available for differentiation in isolation (0.55 million years) suggests a high rate of allozyme change between the two lineages on S?o Miguel. This may be related to population isolation and bottlenecks caused by human and volcanic activity on S?o Miguel in relatively recent times. This is more prominent in the eastern region where populations are also characterised by reduced genetic variation (loss of alleles and heterozygosity) compared to populations elsewhere.     

Evidence of a highly complex phylogeographic structure on a specialist river bird species, the dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

This study details the phylogeographic pattern of the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), a Palearctic, temperate, passerine bird that is exclusively associated with flowing water. Our results reveal a complex phylogeographic structure with at least five distinct lineages for the Western Palearctic region. As for many species of the Western Palearctic fauna and flora, this genetic structure is probably linked to the isolation of populations in different southern refuges during glacial periods. Furthermore, the isolation of populations in Scandinavia and/or Eastern regions, but also in Morocco and probably in Corsica, was accentuated by ecological and biogeographic barriers during Quaternary interglacial periods. During glacial periods, Italy, Sicily and the Balkano-Carpathian region acted as major refuge zones for the dipper. At the end of the last ice age, Western Europe was repopulated by dippers from an Italian refuge, while Eastern Europe was recolonised by Balkano-Carpathian birds. A large contact zone between these two lineages was evidenced and extends from Luxembourg to Hungary. Finally, our results indicate the need to clarify the taxonomic status of the dipper, especially concerning the European subspecies whose validity appears uncertain.     

Mixed patterns of morphological adaptation to insularity in an aerial displaying bird,the Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

On islands, colonizing birds may evolve behavioural and morphological adaptations to the new environment, often resulting in changes in body size and reduction or even total loss of flight. These island populations have therefore been used to test hypotheses related to adaptations for flight. However, in certain species in which flight is used not only in foraging and migration but also in mating displays, disentangling the effects of natural and social selection is difficult. Thus, sedentary populations of species that perform aerial displays (such as the Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago that breed in the Azores archipelago) may offer an opportunity to separate the effects of natural and social selection on morphology. If insular Common Snipe respond to the characteristic ecological context of oceanic islands, we expect them to differ from migratory conspecifics in body size and by having relatively smaller and more rounded wings. On the other hand, if social selection exerts a more powerful force over the morphology of this species, we expect that sedentary and migratory birds will not differ in flight‐related characters. We tested these hypotheses by comparing morphological characters measured on live Common Snipe captured in the Azores during the breeding season with those measured on migratory specimens hunted during autumn/winter in mainland Portugal. Sedentary Azorean birds were smaller and had relatively shorter tails but did not show the tendency for insular birds to possess more rounded wings as described in other taxa, including in the Azores. Bergman's rule might explain the difference in body size and shorter tails may be responsible for behavioural differences between populations. The lack of difference in wing shape might be explained by the need of the Common Snipe to perform aerial displays during courtship, suggesting an effect of social selection on the migratory strategy of this species.