Abstract
Elucidation of the evolutionary processes leading to the formation of new species remains one of the major goals of evolutionary biology. Recent developments in this field have stressed the potential importance of sexual selection as an engine of speciation, but there are few models available to study these processes in nature, and a lack of integration of theory with data from natural populations. This project will provide the requisite combination of the theoretical expertise with an exceptionally suitable natural population, and will combine field experimentats, molecular genetic and quantitative genetic analysis and theoretical modelling. Using a hybrid zone between collared and pied flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis an F.hypoleuca) we aim to (1) Determine the importance of factors promoting the occurrence of mixed-species pairings; (2) Model the interaction of sexual selection and speciation and test experimentally the role of secondary sexual characters in reinforcing mating isolation; (3) Derive life-history models to predict conditions under which mating patterns within and between species may be evolutionarily stable; (4) Use extensive pedigree information to explore the genetic architecture of divergent secondary sexual characters involved in species isolation, and theoretically assess the consequences for speciation by sexual selection.
Netherlands