Genetics of two bird species hardly differs, despite significant plumage variation

[PhysOrg]

Scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, together with colleagues from the U.S. and Australia, have succeeded in demonstrating the complexity of species evolution and evolutionary processes by studying the genomic variability of two putative swallow species in Australia. Contrary to expectations, the team of scientists was able to demonstrate that the genetic information of the two bird species hardly differs, despite significantly different coloration and pattern of the plumage. Their study is published in Molecular Ecology.

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