SUPR
Melidectes biogeography and hybridization
Dnr:

NAISS 2025/23-383

Type:

NAISS Small Storage

Principal Investigator:

Ingo Müller

Affiliation:

Naturhistoriska riksmuseet

Start Date:

2025-06-27

End Date:

2026-07-01

Primary Classification:

10615: Evolutionary Biology

Webpage:

Allocation

Abstract

This project will be a continuation of my previous project which I used for the projects of my 4-year PhD. For my thesis, I investigated the biogeography and hybridisation patterns in New Guinean honeyeaters (Melidectes) and Melampittidae, a group of whistlers (Pachycephala) and a genus of Birds-of-paradise (Paradisaea), as well as side projects such as on Melipotes honeyeaters and a methodological report on processing DNA from historical samples. The majority of samples are from natural history collections; the projects highlight the importance of these collections for the genomic study of rare and poorly known species. Whole genomes of individuals covering the species' distributions have been re-sequenced for all projects (in total > 350 genomes). The project will be used for follow-up studies using this data, particularly further investigating Melipotes honeyeaters as well as inferences of past demographic events across the majority of New Guinea's avifauna.