Jan Terje Lifjeld

Publications

• Viitaniemi, Heidi M.; Leder, Erica Helen; Kauzál, Ondřej; Stopková, Romana; Stopka, Pavel & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Impact of Z chromosome inversions on gene expression in testis and liver tissues in the zebra finch. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. doi: 10.1111/mec.17236.
• Johannessen, Lars Erik; Johnsen, Arild; Koppetsch, Thore; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Matschiner, Michael & Søli, Geir Einar Ellefsen [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Arctic Specimens in the Zoological Collections at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway (NHMO). Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals. ISSN 1550-1906. doi: 10.1177/15501906231167574. Show summary

  In the NHMO zoological collections, specimens from the Arctic include about 9,000 mammals and 7,100 birds, whereas the Insect Collection holds about 105,000 specimens plus more than hundred jars with unsorted material. The Fish Collection contains approximately 1,400 specimens, while the Herptile Collection (amphibians & reptiles) holds only thirty-one specimens of three taxa. Many of these specimens originate from expeditions to E Greenland, N Canada, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, Finnmark, and NE Siberia in the period 1898 to 1966. Furthermore, the DNA Bank has about 5,600 tissue and extracted DNA samples, mostly sampled from wild animals during the last decades but also from specimens in the voucher collections. Most of the Arctic specimens have been digitized and are available in online data portals like GBIF, except for the Insect Collection, where only the type material and about 30 percent of the total specimens are digitized.

• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Hernando, Miguel de Gabriel; Marcos, Benito Fuertes; Grønstøl, Gaute; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas & Matschiner, Michael [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Rapid sperm length divergence in a polygynandrous passerine: a mechanism of cryptic speciation? Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. 77(11), p. 2352–2364. doi: 10.1093/evolut/qpad146.
• Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2023). Do female bluethroats without extra-pair offspring have more MHC-compatible social mates? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 77(3). doi: 10.1007/s00265-023-03311-z. Full text in Research Archive
• Johannessen, Lars Erik & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Type specimens of birds in the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway. Zootaxa. ISSN 1175-5326. 5150(4), p. 451–486. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5150.4.1. Show summary

  A list of all known bird type specimens in the collection of the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway is presented. The specimens originate from northern Australia, eastern Indonesia or Tristan da Cunha, and have either been collected and described by personnel associated with the museum or sent from other museums in exchange for other specimens. The catalogue is not intended as a taxonomic revision of the treated taxa, and consequently no taxonomic revisions are made, but the type status of some specimens formerly considered to be types is refuted. The collection holds name-bearing types of 11 taxa, comprising one holotype and 26 syntypes; two paratypes from the same type series as the holotype; and one paralectotype of a twelfth taxon. The catalogue also includes two specimens of one taxon here refuted as being type specimens.

• Cramer, Becky; Yilma, Zelealem Belaineh & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 1010-061X. 36(1), p. 131–143. doi: 10.1111/jeb.14120. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sperm cells are exceptionally morphologically diverse across taxa. However, morphology can be quite uniform within species, particularly for species where females copulate with many males per reproductive bout. Strong sexual selection in these promiscuous species is widely hypothesized to reduce intraspecific sperm variation. Conversely, we hypothesize that intraspecific sperm size variation may be maintained by high among-female variation in the size of sperm storage organs, assuming that paternity success improves when sperm are compatible in size with the sperm storage organ. We use individual-based simulations and an analytical model to evaluate how selection on sperm size depends on promiscuity level and variation in sperm storage organ size (hereafter, female preference variation). Simulations of high promiscuity (10 mates per female) showed stabilizing selection on sperm when female preference variation was low, and disruptive selection when female preference variation was high, consistent with the analytical model results. With low promiscuity (2–3 mates per female), selection on sperm was stabilizing for all levels of female preference variation in the simulations, contrasting with the analytical model. Promiscuity level, or mate sampling, thus has a strong impact on the selection resulting from female preferences. Furthermore, when promiscuity is low, disruptive selection on male traits will occur under much more limited circumstances (i.e. only with higher among-female variation) than many previous models suggest. Variation in female sperm storage organs likely has strong implications for intraspecific sperm variation in highly promiscuous species, but likely does not explain differences in intraspecific sperm variation for less promiscuous taxa.

• Cramer, Becky; Grønstøl, Gaute & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Flagellum tapering and midpiece volume in songbird spermatozoa. Journal of morphology. ISSN 0362-2525. p. 1–13. doi: 10.1002/jmor.21524. Full text in Research Archive
• Grønstøl, Gaute; Danielsen, Marie; Cramer, Becky; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Johnsen, Arild & Whittington, Emma [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Effects of fixatives and storage duration on avian sperm morphology. Journal of Ornithology. ISSN 2193-7192. doi: 10.1007/s10336-022-02015-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Experimental manipulation of sexual traits in barn swallow populations—No evidence for divergent sexual selection. Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. doi: 10.1111/evo.14505. Full text in Research Archive
• Rowe, Melissah; van Oort, Annabel; Brouwer, Lyanne; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Webster, Michael S. & Welklin, Joseph F. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Sperm Numbers as a Paternity Guard in a Wild Bird. Cells. ISSN 2073-4409. 11(2). doi: 10.3390/cells11020231. Full text in Research Archive
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Kleven, Oddmund; Fossøy, Frode; Jacobsen, Frode; Laskemoen, Terje & Rudolfsen, Geir [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). When older males sire more offspring—Increased attractiveness or higher fertility? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 76(5), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1007/s00265-022-03170-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In birds with extrapair mating, older males usually have higher fertilization success than younger males. Two hypotheses can potentially explain this pattern: 1) females prefer older, and often more ornamented males, or 2) older males invest more in reproduction and fertility than younger males. Here we studied factors associated with age-related male fertilization success in a population of barn swallows Hirundo rustica in Canada. We document that male fertilization success increased gradually up to a minimum age of four-year old. The age efect was especially strong for the number of extrapair ofspring obtained and the occurrence of a second brood. The higher fertilization success of older males was also associated with an early start of breeding in spring. The length of the elongated outermost tail feathers, a postulated male ornament preferred by females, also increased with age (in both sexes), but it was not a signifcant predictor of male fertilization success within age classes. Male fertility traits, especially testis size, but also sperm motility and sperm velocity, increased signifcantly across age groups. Our results suggest that the higher fertilization success by older males is due to their higher reproductive investments and that their longer tails are an adaptation to early arrival on the breeding grounds. Extrapair paternity · Life history · Sexual selection · Sperm traits · Tail length · Testes size

• Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2021). Elevated phytohaemagglutinin‐induced skin‐swelling response at an intermediate number of MHC class II alleles in bluethroat nestlings. Journal of Avian Biology. ISSN 0908-8857. doi: 10.1111/jav.02734. Full text in Research Archive
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Grønstøl, Gaute; Maxwell, Logan; Kovach, Adrienne & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2021). Sperm length divergence as a potential pre-zygotic barrier in a passerine hybrid zone. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 11(14), p. 9489–9497. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7768. Full text in Research Archive
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Garcia-del-Rey, Eduardo; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Laskemoen, Terje; Marthinsen, Gunnhild & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Longer Sperm Swim More Slowly in the Canary Islands Chiffchaff. Cells. ISSN 2073-4409. 10(6). doi: 10.3390/cells10061358. Full text in Research Archive
• Bodawatta, Kasun H.; Synek, Per; Bos, Nick; Garcia-del-Rey, Eduardo; Koane, Bonny & Marki, Petter Zahl [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2020). Spatiotemporal patterns of avian host–parasite interactions in the face of biogeographical range expansions. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 29(13), p. 2431–2448. doi: 10.1111/mec.15486.
• Omotoriogun, Taiwo Crossby; Albrecht, Tomas; Gohli, Jostein; Horák, David; Johannessen, Lars Erik & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2020). Sperm length variation among Afrotropical songbirds reflects phylogeny rather than adaptations to the tropical environment. Zoology. ISSN 0944-2006. 140. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125770. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sperm cells vary tremendously in size and shape across the animal kingdom. In songbirds (Aves: Passeri), sperm have a characteristic helical form but vary considerably in size. Most of our knowledge about sperm morphology in this group stems from studies of species in the Northern temperate zone, while little is known about the numerous species in the tropics. Here we examined sperm size in 125 Afrotropical songbird species with emphasis on the length of the major structural components (head, midpiece, flagellum), and total sperm length measured using light microscopy. Mean total sperm length varied from 51 μm to 212 μm across species. Those belonging to the Corvoidea superfamily had relatively short sperm with a small midpiece, while those of the three major Passeridan superfamilies Passeroidea, Muscicapoidea and Sylvioidea showed large interspecific variation in total sperm length and associated variation in midpiece length. These patterns are consistent with previous findings for temperate species in the same major clades. A comparative analysis with songbird species from the Northern temperate zone (N = 139) showed large overlap in sperm length ranges although certain temperate families (e.g. Parulidae, Emberizidae) typically have long sperm and certain Afrotropical families (e.g. Cisticolidae, Estrildidae) have relatively short sperm. Afrotropical and temperate species belonging to the same families showed no consistent contrasts in sperm length. Sperm length variation among Afrotropical and Northern temperate songbirds exhibits a strong phylogenetic signal with little or no evidence for any directional latitudinal effect among closely related taxa.

• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2019). The Avian Sperm Collection in the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. Alauda. ISSN 0002-4619. 87(3), p. 93–101.
• Thomas, Jessica E.; Carvalho, Gary R.; Haile, James; Rawlence, Nicolas J.; Martin, Michael David & Ho, Simon Y.W. [Show all 37 contributors for this article] (2019). Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. eLIFE. ISSN 2050-084X. 8:e47509. doi: 10.7554/eLife.47509. Full text in Research Archive
• Lindsay, Willow R.; Andersson, Staffan; Bererhi, Badreddine; Höglund, Jacob; Johnsen, Arild & Kvarnemo, Charlotta [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2019). Endless forms of sexual selection. PeerJ. ISSN 2167-8359. doi: 10.7717/peerj.7988. Full text in Research Archive
• Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2019). Extra‐pair mating in a passerine bird with highly duplicated major histocompatibility complex class II: Preference for the golden mean. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. doi: 10.1111/mec.15273. Full text in Research Archive
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Gohli, Jostein; Albrecht, Tomas; Garcia-del-Rey, Eduardo; Johannessen, Lars Erik & Kleven, Oddmund [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2019). Evolution of female promiscuity in Passerides songbirds. BMC Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 1471-2148. 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12862-019-1493-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Female promiscuity is highly variable among birds, and particularly among songbirds. Comparative work has identified several patterns of covariation with social, sexual, ecological and life history traits. However, it is unclear whether these patterns reflect causes or consequences of female promiscuity, or if they are byproducts of some unknown evolutionary drivers. Moreover, factors that explain promiscuity at the deep nodes in the phylogenetic tree may be different from those important at the tips, i.e. among closely related species. Here we examine the relationships between female promiscuity and a broad set of predictor variables in a comprehensive data set (N = 202 species) of Passerides songbirds, which is a highly diversified infraorder of the Passeriformes exhibiting significant variation in female promiscuity. Results: Female promiscuity was highly variable in all major clades of the Passerides phylogeny and also among closely related species. We found several significant associations with female promiscuity, albeit with fairly small effect sizes (all R2 ≤ 0.08). More promiscuous species had: 1) less male parental care, particularly during the early stages of the nesting cycle (nest building and incubation), 2) more short-term pair bonds, 3) greater degree of sexual dichromatism, primarily because females were drabber, 4) more migratory behaviour, and 5) stronger premating sexual selection. In a multivariate model, however, the effect of sexual selection disappeared, while the other four variables showed additive effects and together explained about 16% of the total variance in female promiscuity. Female promiscuity showed no relationship with body size, life history variation, latitude or cooperative breeding. Conclusions: We found that multiple traits were associated with female promiscuity, but these associations were generally weak. Some traits, such as reduced parental care in males and more cryptic plumage in females, might even be responses to, rather than causes of, variation in female promiscuity. Hence, the high variation in female promiscuity among Passerides species remains enigmatic. Female promiscuity seems to be a rapidly evolving trait that often diverges between species with similar ecologies and breeding systems. A future challenge is therefore to understand what drives within-lineage variation in female promiscuity over microevolutionary time scales. Keywords: Extrapair paternity, Life history, Mating system, Pair bond, Parental care, Sexual selection

• Støstad, Hanna Nyborg; Rowe, Melissah; Johnsen, Arild; Tomasek, Oldrich; Albrecht, Tomas & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2019). Sperm head abnormalities are associated with excessive omega-6 fatty acids in two finch species feeding on sunflower seeds. Journal of Avian Biology. ISSN 0908-8857. 50(3), p. 1–12. doi: 10.1111/jav.02056. Full text in Research Archive
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Rowe, Melissah; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Sætre, Glenn-Peter & Johnsen, Arild (2019). Measuring sperm swimming performance in birds: effects of dilution, suspension medium, mechanical agitation, and sperm number. Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. p. 1–11. doi: 10.1007/s10336-019-01672-9. Full text in Research Archive
• Støstad, Hanna Nyborg; Rowe, Melissah; Johnsen, Arild & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2019). Sperm head abnormalities are more frequent in songbirds with more helical sperm: A possible trade-off in sperm evolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 1010-061X. p. 1–9. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13446. Full text in Research Archive
• Králová, Tereza; Albrecht, Tomas; Bryja, Josef; Horák, David; Johnsen, Arild & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2018). Signatures of diversifying selection and convergence acting on passerine Toll-like receptor 4 in an evolutionary context. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 27(13), p. 2871–2883. doi: 10.1111/mec.14724. Full text in Research Archive
• Støstad, Hanna Nyborg; Johnsen, Arild; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Rowe, Melissah (2018). Sperm head morphology is associated with sperm swimming speed: a comparative study of songbirds using electron microscopy. Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. 72(9), p. 1918–1932. doi: 10.1111/evo.13555. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sperm exhibit extraordinary levels of morphological diversification across the animal kingdom. In songbirds, sperm have a helically shaped head incorporating a distinct acrosomal membrane or “helical keel,” the form and extent of which varies across species. The functional significance of this helical shape, however, remains unknown. Using scanning electron microscopy, we quantified inter‐ and intraspecific variation in sperm head morphology across 36 songbird species (Passeriformes: Passerida). Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we investigated the relationship between sperm head morphology and both sperm swimming speed and the frequency of extra‐pair young (EPY). We found that species whose sperm had a relatively more pronounced helical form (i.e., long acrosome, short nucleus, wide helical membrane, and a more pronounced waveform along the sperm head “core”) had faster‐swimming sperm. We found no evidence of a relationship between interspecific variation in sperm head morphology and EPY, although we did find that among‐ and within‐male variation in sperm head traits were negatively correlated with EPY. Applying principles of fluid mechanics, we discuss how the helical form of the sperm head may influence swimming speed, and suggest that further studies considering aspects of sperm morphology beyond sperm length are needed to improve our understanding of sperm structure‐function relationships.

• Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Johnsen, Arild & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2018). Genotyping strategy matters when analyzing hypervariable major histocompatibility complex-Experience from a passerine bird. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 8(3), p. 1680–1692. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3757.
• Johnsen, Arild; Pauliny, Angela; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Blomqvist, Donald (2017). Is telomere length associated with mate choice in a songbird with a high rate of extrapair paternity? PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 12(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182446. Full text in Research Archive
• Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2017). Complete mitochondrial genomes of eleven extinct or possibly extinct bird species. Molecular Ecology Resources. ISSN 1755-098X. 17(2), p. 334–341. doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.12600. Full text in Research Archive
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Calabuig, Pascual; Cooper, Joseph E.J.; Johannessen, Lars Erik & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2016). Species-level divergences in multiple functional traits between the two endemic subspecies of Blue Chaffinches Fringilla teydea in Canary Islands. BMC Zoology. ISSN 2056-3132. doi: 10.1186/s40850-016-0008-4.
• Støstad, Hanna Nyborg; Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Kleven, Oddmund; Laskemoen, Terje; Marthinsen, Gunnhild & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2016). Weak geographical structure in sperm morphology across the range of two willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus subspecies in Scandinavia. Journal of Avian Biology. ISSN 0908-8857. 47(5), p. 731–741. doi: 10.1111/jav.00981. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sperm morphology is highly diversified among species and at higher taxonomic levels. In birds, there is also increasing evidence of geographical differentiation in sperm traits within species, especially in those with strong sperm competition. Geographical divergences in sperm traits might imply the formation of a reproductive barrier in a speciation process. Here we study sperm morphology variation of willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus in a geographical context in Scandinavia, across the range of two subspecies that are differentiated in certain genetic markers, morphology and migratory routes. We describe geographical patterns in genotypes (two previously described single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and four polymorphic microsatellites); in wing length, tarsus length and body mass; and in sperm traits of 330 male willow warblers sampled at 33 localities across Norway (58°N–69°N). Birds were on average larger and longer-winged in the north (spp. acredula) than in the south (spp. trochilus), and showed a sigmoid change in the SNP allele frequencies and body morphology around 65°N. We found no evidence of genetic structuring in the microsatellites. There was no geographical variation in sperm traits across Norway, except that sperm heads were on average longer in the south. Sperm head length was also associated with the two SNP markers, with longer sperm heads for the southern alleles, and midpiece length was weakly associated with one of the SNP markers. Similar among-male variances in total sperm length among the 33 sampling sites indicate uniform levels of sperm competition across Norway. We conclude that sperm morphology remains a rather undifferentiated trait between the two willow warbler subspecies in Scandinavia, which is consistent with a pattern of a shallow genetic divergence. This indicates that sperm morphology is not a reproductive barrier maintaining the narrow hybrid zone.

• Gohli, Jostein; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Albrecht, Tomas (2016). Migration distance is positively associated with sex-linked genetic diversity in passerine birds. Ethology Ecology & Evolution (Testo stampato). ISSN 0394-9370. 28(1), p. 42–52. doi: 10.1080/03949370.2015.1018954. Full text in Research Archive
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Stensrud, Even; Marthinsen, Gunnhild; Hogner, Silje; Johannessen, Lars Erik & Laskemoen, Terje [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2016). Sperm performance in conspecific and heterospecific female fluid. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. doi: 10.1002/ece3.1977. Full text in Research Archive
• K, Supriya; Rowe, Melissah; Laskemoen, Terje; Mohan, Dhananjai; Price, Trevor & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2016). Early diversification of sperm size in the evolutionary history of the old world leaf warblers (Phylloscopidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 1010-061X. 29(4), p. 777–789. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12826. Full text in Research Archive
• Omotoriogun, Taiwo Crossby; Laskemoen, Terje; Rowe, Melissah; Albrecht, Tomáš; Bowie, Rauri C.K. & Sedláček, Ondřej [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2016). Variation in sperm morphology among Afrotropical sunbirds. IBIS. ISSN 0019-1019. 158, p. 155–166. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12334. Full text in Research Archive
• Omotoriogun, Taiwo Crossby; Albrecht, Tomas; Hořak, David; Laskemoen, Terje; Ottosson, Ulf & Rowe, Melissah [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2016). Sperm size evolution in African greenbuls (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. ISSN 0024-4066. 117(2), p. 337–349. doi: 10.1111/bij.12663. Full text in Research Archive
• Rowe, Melissah; Griffith, Simon C.; Hofgaard, Antje & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2015). Subspecific variation in sperm morphology and performance in the Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda). Avian Research. ISSN 2053-7166. 6:23, p. 1–10. doi: 10.1186/s40657-015-0032-z.
• Hogner, Silje; Riera, Albert Burgas; Wold, Margrethe; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2015). Intergeneric hybridization between Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus and Whinchat Saxicola rubetra revealed by molecular analyses. Journal of Ornithology. ISSN 2193-7192. 156, p. 829–836. doi: 10.1007/s10336-015-1165-x.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2015). When taxonomy meets genomics: Lessons from a common songbird. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 24(12), p. 2901–2903. doi: 10.1111/mec.13244. Full text in Research Archive
• Rowe, Melissah; Albrecht, Tomas; Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Johnsen, Arild; Laskemoen, Terje & Weir, Jason T [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2015). Postcopulatory sexual selection is associated with accelerated evolution of sperm morphology. Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. 69(4), p. 1044–1052. doi: 10.1111/evo.12620.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Stensrud, Even; Rowe, Melissah; Haas, Fredrik & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2015). Morphology-function relationships and repeatability in the sperm of Passer sparrows. Journal of morphology. ISSN 0362-2525. 276(4), p. 370–377. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20346.
• Dale, Svein; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Rowe, Melissah (2015). Commonness and ecology, but not bigger brains, predict urban living in birds. BMC Ecology. ISSN 1472-6785. 15. doi: 10.1186/s12898-015-0044-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Svoboda, Ales; Marthinsen, Gunnhild; Pavel, Václav; Chutný, Bohumír; Turčoková, Lucia & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2014). Die prävalenz von blutparasiten beim blaukehlchen ist verknüpft mit der unterart und dem bruthabitat. Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. 156(2), p. 371–380. doi: 10.1007/s10336-014-1134-9.
• Gohli, Jostein; Leder, Erica H.; Garcia-Del-Rey, Eduardo; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Johnsen, Arild & Laskemoen, Terje [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2014). The evolutionary history of Afrocanarian blue tits inferred from genomewide SNPs. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 24(1), p. 180–191. doi: 10.1111/mec.13008.
• Wojczulanis-Jakubas, K; Kilikowska, A; Harding, AMA; Jakubas, D; Karnovsky, NJ & Steen, Harald [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2014). Weak population genetic differentiation in the most numerous Arctic seabird, the little auk. Polar Biology. ISSN 0722-4060. 37(5), p. 621–630. doi: 10.1007/s00300-014-1462-5.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice; Haas, Fredrik; Hermansen, Jo Skeie & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2014). Testing a post-copulatory pre-zygotic reproductive barrier in a passerine species pair. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 68(7), p. 1133–1144. doi: 10.1007/s00265-014-1724-9.
• Larson, Keith W; Liedvogel, Miriam; Addison, BriAnne; Kleven, Oddmund; Laskemoen, Terje & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2014). Allelic Variation in a Willow Warbler Genomic Region Is Associated with Climate Clines. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 9(5). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095252. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Local adaptation is an important process contributing to population differentiation which can occur in continuous or isolated populations connected by various amounts of gene flow. The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is one of the most common songbirds in Fennoscandia. It has a continuous breeding distribution where it is found in all forested habitats from sea level to the tree line and therefore constitutes an ideal species for the study of locally adapted genes associated with environmental gradients. Previous studies in this species identified a genetic marker (AFLP-WW1) that showed a steep north-south cline in central Sweden with one allele associated with coastal lowland habitats and the other with mountainous habitats. It was further demonstrated that this marker is embedded in a highly differentiated chromosome region that spans several megabases. In the present study, we sampled 2,355 individuals at 128 sites across all of Fennoscandia to study the geographic and climatic variables associated with the allele frequency distributions of WW1. Our results demonstrate that 1) allele frequency patterns significantly differ between mountain and lowland populations, 2) these allele differences coincide with extreme temperature conditions and the short growing season in the mountains, and milder conditions in coastal areas, and 3) the northern-allele or ‘‘altitude variant’’ of WW1 occurs in willow warblers that occupy mountainous habitat regardless of subspecies. Finally these results suggest that climate may exert selection on the genomic region associated with these alleles and would allow us to develop testable predictions for the distribution of the genetic marker based on climate change scenarios.

• Rowe, Melissah ; Czirják, Gabor; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Giraudeau, Mathieu (2013). Lysozyme-associated bactericidal activity in the ejaculate of a wild passerine. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. ISSN 0024-4066. 109(1), p. 92–100. doi: 10.1111/bij.12044.
• Rowe, Melissah ; Laskemoen, Terje; Johnsen, Arild & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Evolution of sperm structure and energetics in passerine birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. ISSN 0962-8452. 280(1753). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2616.
• Laskemoen, Terje; Albrecht, Tomas; Bonisoli-Alquati, Andrea; Cepak, Jaroslav; de Lope, Florentino & Hermosell, Ignacio G. [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2013). Variation in sperm morphometry and sperm competition among barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) populations. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 67(2), p. 301–309. doi: 10.1007/s00265-012-1450-0. Show summary

  Spermatozoa vary greatly in size and shape among species across the animal kingdom. Postcopulatory sexual selection is thought to be the major evolutionary force driving this diversity. In contrast, less is known about how sperm size varies among populations of the same species. Here, we investigate geographic variation in sperm size in barn swallows Hirundo rustica, a socially monogamous passerine with a wide Holarctic breeding distribution. We included samplesfrom seven populations and three subspecies: five populations of ssp. rustica in Europe (Czech, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Ukraine), one population of ssp. transitiva in Israel, and one population of ssp. erythrogaster in Canada. All sperm traits (head length, midpiece length, tail length, and total length) varied significantly among populations. The variation among the European rustica populations was much lower than the differences among subspecies, indicating that sperm traits reflect phylogenetic distance. We also performed a test of the relationship between the coefficient of between-male variation in total sperm length and extrapair paternity levels across different populations within a species. Recent studies have found a strong negative relationship between sperm size variation and extrapair paternity among species. Here, we show a similar negative relationship among six barn swallow populations, which suggests that the variance in male sperm length in a population is shaped by the strength of stabilizing postcopulatory sexual selection. Barn swallow . Extrapair paternity . Hirundo rustica . Sperm competition . Sperm size

• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Kleven, Oddmund & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Sperm length variation in House Wrens Troglodytes aedon. Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. 154(1), p. 129–138. doi: 10.1007/s10336-012-0878-3. Show summary

  It is well documented that sperm size and structure varies considerably among avian species, but we know much less about the extent of intraspecific variation in sperm morphometry and its possible co-variation with somatic traits like body size and condition. Here, we investigate patterns of sperm length variation and co-variation in a population of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Total sperm length showed considerable between-male variation, with high repeatability between seasons indicative of a strong genetic basis for this trait. However, we also detected a seasonal increase in the flagellum:head length ratio, which might indicate phenotypic plasticity or adjustment in the relative size of sperm components. The variation in total sperm length within an ejaculate sample was higher for males sampled very early in the season, which may reflect more heterogeneity in the size of seminiferous tubules when testes are growing. None of the studied sperm morphometry traits correlated significantly with any measures of male body size or physiological condition. Further studies are needed to reveal if the observed individual variation in sperm morphology plays any functional or adaptive role. Sperm morphology, Sperm competition, Body condition, House Wren, Seasonality

• Garcia-Del-Rey, Eduardo; Marthinsen, Gunnhild; Calabuig, Pascual; Estévez, Loly; Johannessen, Lars Erik & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2013). Reduced genetic diversity and sperm motility in the endangered Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea polatzeki. Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. 154(3), p. 761–768. doi: 10.1007/s10336-013-0940-9.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Kleven, Oddmund; LaBarbera, Katie; Lovette, Irby J. & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). No evidence that sperm morphology predicts paternity success in wild hous wrens. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 67(11), p. 1845–1853. doi: 10.1007/s00265-013-1594-6.
• Hermosell, Ignacio Garcia; Laskemoen, Terje; Rowe, Melissah ; Møller, Anders P.; Mousseau, Timothy A. & Albrecht, Tomas [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2013). Patterns of sperm damage in Chernobyl passerine birds suggest a trade-off between sperm length and integrity. Biology Letters. ISSN 1744-9561. 9(5:20130530 ). doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0530.
• Hogner, Silje; Laskemoen, Terje; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Pavel, Vaclav; Chutny, Bob & Garcia, J [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2013). Rapid sperm evolution in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) subspecies complex. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 67(8), p. 1205–1217. doi: 10.1007/s00265-013-1548-z.
• Gohli, Jostein; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Johnsen, Arild; Kleven, Oddmund; Borge, Thomas & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Female promicuity is positively associated with neutral and selected genetic diversity in passerine birds. Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. 67(5), p. 1406–1419. doi: 10.1111/evo.12045.
• Øigarden, Trond & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Primary sex ratios vary with clutch size in the size-dimorphic White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus. Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. 154(1), p. 91–97. doi: 10.1007/s10336-012-0874-7.
• Laskemoen, Terje; Kleven, Oddmund; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Fossøy, Frode; Robertson, Raleigh J. & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Repeatability of sperm size and motility within and between seasons in the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. ISSN 0021-8375. 154(4), p. 955–963. doi: 10.1007/s10336-013-0961-4.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Hoenen, Antje; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Laskemoen, Terje; Lopes, Ricardo J. & Rodrigues, Pedro M. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2013). The Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) has the same unusual and size-variable sperm morphology as the Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. ISSN 0024-4066. 108(3), p. 677–687. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02040.x.
• Kvie, Kjersti Sternang; Hogner, Silje; Aarvik, Leif; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2013). Deep sympatric mtDNA divergence in the autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 3(1), p. 126–144. doi: 10.1002/ece3.434.
• Albrecht, Tomas; Kleven, Oddmund; Kreisinger, Jakub; Laskemoen, Terje; Omotoriogun, Taiwo Crossby & Ottosson, Ulf [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2012). Sperm competition in tropical versus temperate zone birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. ISSN 0962-8452. 280(1752). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2434. Show summary

  Sperm competition represents an important component of post-copulatory sexual selection. It has been argued that the level of sperm competition declines in birds towards the equator. However, to date, sperm competition estimates have been available mainly for avian species inhabiting the northern temperate zone. Here we apply a novel approach, using the coefficient of between-male variation (CVbm) in sperm size as an index for sperm competition risk, in a comparative analysis of 31 Afrotropical and 99 northern temperate zone passerine species. We found no difference in sperm competition risk between the two groups, nor any relationship with migration distance. However, a multivariate model indicated that sperm competition risk was highest in species with a combination of low body mass and few eggs per clutch. The effect of clutch size was most pronounced in tropical species, which indicates that sperm competition risk in tropical and temperate species is differently associated with particular life-history traits. Although tropical species had lower sperm competition risk than temperate zone species for overlapping clutch sizes, the idea of a generally reduced risk of sperm competition in tropical birds was not supported by our analysis. clutch size, extra-pair paternity, life history, post-copulatory sexual selection, sperm phenotype

• Hogner, Silje; Laskemoen, Terje; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Porkert, Jiri; Kleven, Oddmund & Albayrak, Tamer [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2012). Deep sympatric mitochondrial divergence without reproductive isolation in the common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 2(12), p. 2974–2988. doi: 10.1002/ece3.398. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mitochondrial DNA usually shows low sequence variation within and high sequence divergence among species, which makes it a useful marker for phylogenetic inference and DNA barcoding. A previous study on the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) revealed two very different mtDNA haplogroups (5% K2P distance). This divergence is comparable to that among many sister species; however, both haplogroups coexist and interbreed in Europe today. Herein, we describe the phylogeographic pattern of these lineages and test hypotheses for how such high diversity in mtDNA has evolved. We found no evidence for mitochondrial pseudogenes confirming that both haplotypes are of mitochondrial origin. When testing for possible reproductive barriers, we found no evidence for lineage-specific assortative mating and no difference in sperm morphology, indicating that they are not examples of cryptic species, nor likely to reflect the early stages of speciation. A gene tree based on a short fragment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 from the common redstart and 10 other Phoenicurus species, showed no introgression from any of the extant congenerics. However, introgression from an extinct congeneric cannot be excluded. Sequences from two nuclear introns did not show a similar differentiation into two distinct groups. Mismatch distributions indicated that the lineages have undergone similar demographic changes. Taken together, these results confirm that deeply divergent mitochondrial lineages can coexist in biological species. Sympatric mtDNA divergences are relatively rare in birds, but the fact that they occur argues against the use of threshold mtDNA divergences in species delineation. Assortative mating, mtDNA, reproductive isolation, sympatric divergence

• Garcia-Del-Rey, Eduardo; Kleven, Oddmund & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2012). Extrapair paternity in insular African Blue Tits Cyanistes teneriffae is no less frequent than in continental Eurasian Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus. IBIS. ISSN 0019-1019. 154(4), p. 862–867. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.2012.01241.x. Show summary

  Birds breeding on islands often exhibit lower rates of extrapair paternity than their mainland counterparts, perhaps explained by low genetic variation, slower life histories and reduced sexual selection in island populations. Extrapair paternity was apparent in 39% (12/19) of broods, and encompassed 15% (21/137) of nestlings, in a population of African Blue Tits Cyanistes teneriffae, in Tenerife, Canary Islands. There were no cases of intraspecific brood parasitism. The incidence of extrapair young lies in the upper range of that reported from mainland populations of the closely related Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus. We conclude that there is no strong island effect on the genetic mating system in the Cyanistes species group but that extrapair paternity rates in Cyanistes are greater at southern latitudes. Canary Islands, clutch size, genetic variation, life history, microsatellites, sexual selection, sperm competition

• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Laskemoen, Terje; Kleven, Oddmund; Pedersen, Anne Tiril Myhre; Lampe, Helene M. & Rudolfsen, Geir [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2012). No Evidence for Pre-Copulatory Sexual Selection on Sperm Length in a Passerine Bird. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 7(2). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032611. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Arild; Carter, Kim L.; Delhey, Kaspar; Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Robertson, Raleigh J. & Kempenaers, Bart (2012). Laying-order effects on sperm numbers and on paternity: comparing three passerine birds with different life histories. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 66(2), p. 181–190. doi: 10.1007/s00265-011-1265-4.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Kleven, Oddmund; Jacobsen, Frode; McGraw, Kevin J.; Safran, Rebecca J. & Robertson, Raleigh J. (2011). Age before beauty? Relationships between fertilization success and age-dependent ornaments in barn swallows. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. ISSN 0340-5443. 65(9), p. 1687–1697. doi: 10.1007/s00265-011-1176-4.
• Johannessen, Lars Erik; Ke, Dianhua; Lu, Xin & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2011). Geographical variation in patterns of parentage and relatedness in the co-operatively breeding Ground Tit Parus humilis. IBIS. ISSN 0019-1019. 153(2), p. 373–383. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.2011.01115.x.
• Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Kleven, Oddmund; Jakob, Augustin; Bentz, Kristofer H; Blomqvist, Donald & Fernie, Kim J [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2011). Factors affecting germline mutations in a hypervariable microsatellite: a comparative analysis of six species of swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae). Mutation research. ISSN 0027-5107. 708(1-2), p. 37–43. doi: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2011.01.006.

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• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2023). Sjarm, sjalusi og sjekketriks i fjellheimen: et innblikk i blåstrupens hekkebiologi.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2023). Kan utroskap hos fugler føre til raskere evolusjon? [Radio]. Ekko i P2 - NRK radio.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2023). Sjarm, sjalusi og sjekketriks i fjellheimen: et innblikk i blåstrupens hekkebiologi.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2023). Sperm as speciation phenotypes.
• Melteig, Elina; Johnsen, Arild & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2023). Far er utro for å få flere barn. Mor er utro for å få bedre barn. [Journal]. Titan.no.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). A museum collection of bird sperm.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Sperm Evolution in Birds.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). The ecology and evolution of female promiscuity.
• Rekdal, Silje Larsen; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Johnsen, Arild (2022). MHC-based mate choice in bluethroats.
• Yilma, Zelealem Belaineh & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje & Slagsvold, Tore (2022). Female extra-pair copulation for direct fitness benefits: A cautionary note. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. ISSN 0027-8424. 119(30). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2207108119.
• Cramer, Becky; Yilma, Zelealem Belaineh & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2022). Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca Alison; Garcia-del-Rey, Eduardo; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Laskemoen, Terje; Marthinsen, Gunnhild & Johnsen, Arild [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Sperm evolution in the Canary Islands chiffchaff .
• Cramer, Becky; Grønstøl, Gaute; Maxwell, Logan; Kovach, Adrienne & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2021). Sperm divergence as a potential reproductive barrier in Ammospiza sparrows (and other passerines).
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2021). A museum collection of bird sperm.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2017). Why is sperm competition so variable among passerine birds?
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2017). Genotyping the hypervariable MHC: a comparison of HTS methods.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2017). Sperm size evolution in passerine birds.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2017). Alternative fakta om artsutryddelser. Forskning.no. ISSN 1891-635X.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2015). Sperm traits and the evolution of reproductive barriers.
• K., Supriya; Rowe, Melissah; Laskemoen, Terje; Mohan, D; Price, Trevor & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2014). Correlated evolution of sperm and song in the Old World warblers.
• Dale, Svein; Rowe, Melissah & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2014). What makes an urban bird? Bird species in the city are not big-brained but simply more common in the surroundings.
• Rowe, Melissah; Albrecht, Tomas; Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Johnsen, Arild; Laskemoen, Terje & Weir, Jason T [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2014). Postcopulatory sexual selection accelerates rates of evolutionary divergence in sperm morphology.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Ålund, Murielle; Laskemoen, Terje; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice; Eybert, Marie-Christine & Haas, Fredrik [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2014). Post-copulatory, pre-zygotic isolating barriers in passerine birds?
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice; Haas, Fredrik; Hermansen, Jo Skeie & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2013). Testing a post-copulatory pre-zygotic reproductive barrier in a passerine species pair.
• Cramer, Emily Rebecca A; Laskemoen, Terje; Eroukhmanoff, Fabrice; Haas, Fredrik; Hermansen, Jo Skeie & Lifjeld, Jan Terje [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2013). An experimental test of a potential post-copulatory pre-zygotic reproductive barrier in a passerine species pair.
• Gohli, Jostein; Johnsen, Arild; Popp, Magnus; Leder, Erica H. & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2013). Resolving species trees and rewriting taxonomy: Using next-gen sequencing data to unravel a recent radiation of a passerine bird on an island system.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje; Gohli, Jostein & Johnsen, Arild (2013). Promisquity, sexual selection, and genetic diversity : a reply to Spurgin. Evolution. ISSN 0014-3820. 67(10), p. 3073–3074. doi: 10.1111/evo.12211.
• Laskemoen, Terje; Garcia-Del-Rey, Eduardo; Johannessen, Lars Erik; Albrecht, Tomas & Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2012). Sperm evolution in the Canary Islands chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis).
• Johnsen, Arild; Hogner, Silje; Laskemoen, Terje; Pavel, Vaclav; Chutny, Bob & Fernandez, Javier Garcia [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2011). Rapid sperm evolution in the bluethroat subspecies complex.
• Lifjeld, Jan Terje (2010). Intervju om DNA strekkoding. [Radio]. NRK P2. Verdt å vite.
• Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt; Boer, Hugo de; Brurberg, May Bente; Dahle, Geir; Edgar, Kristin Skarsfjord & Eiler, Alexander [Show all 25 contributors for this article] (2020). Kriterier for lagring av miljø-DNA prøver og data, herunder henvisning til referansemateriale. Criteria for depositing eDNA samples and data, including vouchered specimens. Miljødirektoratet.

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