phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:3184 DOI 10.1098/rsos.240601 Fine-scale genetic structure and phenotypic divergence of a passerine bird population inhabiting a continuous Mediterranean woodland Genetic differentiation between populations inhabiting ecologically different habitats might appear because of limited dispersal and gene flow, which may lead to patterns of phenotypic divergence and local adaptation. In this study, we use dispersal, genotypic (24 microsatellite loci) and phenotypic (body size and clutch size) data to analyse patterns of genetic structuring and phenotypic divergence in a blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) population inhabiting a continuous and heterogeneous woodland along a valley. The two slopes of the valley differ in their forest formations and environmental conditions. Findings showed that most blue tits reproduced within their natal slope. Accordingly, microsatellite analyses revealed that populations of blue tits established in the two slopes show subtle genetic differentiation. The two genetic populations diverged in clutch size, exceeding the level of differentiation expected based on genetic drift, hence suggesting divergent selection (or other processes promoting divergence) on this life-history trait. Our findings reveal that restricted dispersal and spatial heterogeneity may lead to genetic differentiation among bird populations at a surprisingly small scale. In this respect, it is worth highlighting that such differentiation occurs for an organism with high dispersal capacity and within a continuous woodland. Moreover, we show that small-scale ecological differences, together with limited gene flow, can result in selection favouring different phenotypes even within the same continuum population. eng Tits Parus-Major; Blue Tits; Local Adaptation; Natural-Selection; Reproductive Isolation; Q(St)-F-St Comparisons; Inbreeding Avoidance; Landscape Features; Evolution Canyon; Habitat Quality 2024-07-04T09:04:44.868Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Garrido-Bautista;Jorge; FN:Jorge Garrido-Bautista X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8120-0826 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Moreno-Rueda;Gregorio; FN:Gregorio Moreno-Rueda X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6726-7215 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Bakkali;Mohammed; FN:Mohammed Bakkali X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9079-8452 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Penn;Dustin J.; FN:Dustin J. Penn X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5406-8065 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Smith;Steve; FN:Steve Smith X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1318-0018 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Comas;Mar; FN:Mar Comas X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2760-9321 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Jowers;Michael J.; FN:Michael J. Jowers X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8935-5913 END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 1407667 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:3184 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:3184/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline