Trial Lecture
Title: "Species delimitation using molecular data: impact of markers with different inheritance and introgression"
Time and place: June 17, 2025, 10:15 AM, Auditorium Lids hus
Public Defence
Adjudication Committee
- Assistant Professor, Josefin Stiller, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Professor Ricardo Pereira, University of Hohenheim & Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany
- Researcher, Dr. Andrew David Foote, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
- Research Director and Professor Hugo de Boer, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
Supervisors
- Adjunct Professor, Michael Matschiner, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo & The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
- Professor Arild Johnsen, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
- Professor Torsten Struck, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
- Professor Salvador Carranza, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC–Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
Summary
Hybridization in animals is now understood to be far more common and influential in evolution than previously recognized. However, it may also complicate species delimitation and phylogenetic reconstruction. Therefore, the overall goal of this thesis was to explore patterns of hybridization in the context of diversification across different vertebrates
A central contribution (Paper I) demonstrated that among-species rate variation can obscure signals of hybridization, presenting a new test for its reliable detection in such cases. An integrative revision of a species complex of Malagasy Guibemantis frogs (Paper II) revealed mitochondrial-nuclear discordances, attributed to introgressive hybridization, and led to the description of three new species. Resolving a species complex of Arabian Pristurus geckos (Papers III–IV) led to the description of four new cryptic species and revealed that, stabilizing selection, rather than hybridization, maintains morphological similarity despite deep genetic divergence. Finally, the first genetically confirmed hybridization between two phenotypically similar bird species highlighted the need for integrating molecular and phenotypic approaches to characterize first-generation-hybrids (Paper V).
Together, these studies highlight the multifaceted role of hybridization in vertebrate diversification. By combining genomic techniques with morphometric approaches, this thesis advances our understanding of hybridization's role in vertebrate diversification, particularly in cryptic and morphologically conserved taxa.
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