Abstract
Abstract. Divergent selection can lead to substantial morphological and behavioral differences despite slight differentiation in neutral genetic variation. We examined the evolutionary history of two closely related waterfowl, the Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) and Blue-winged Teal (A. discors), that are morphologically distinct but paraphyletic in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and share allozyme alleles. Sequences of mtDNA and two nuclear introns revealed that North American Cinnamon Teal (n = 70) and Blue-winged Teal (n = 76) are characterized by high genetic diversity, a large effective population size, and recent population expansion. In contrast, South American Cinnamon Teal (n = 102) have less genetic diversity and a smaller effective population size that has been more stable. We found 91 unique mtDNA haplotypes, only a few of which were shared by the two species or the three subspecies of the Cinnamon Teal, but the haplotypes were intermixed in a polyphyletic relationship, and we found no diagnostic p...
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