Biologists use genomics to identify evolving new bird species in southern Idaho
Saturday, October 15, 2016 - 09:11
in Biology & Nature
The South Hills crossbill, potentially a newly discovered species of finch, has evolved over the past 6,000 years with a unique dependence on its food source, the Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine, in a coevolutionary arms race that also changed the tree, according to a genomic study. The relatively quick coevolution occurred in two small Great Basin mountain ranges in southern Idaho, just across the border from Nevada.