Inge Müller

TL;DR: Characterization of genomic differentiation in a classic example of hybridization between all-black carrion crows and gray-coated hooded crows identified genome-wide introgression extending far beyond the morphological hybrid zone, indicating localized genomic selection can cause marked heterogeneity in introgressive landscapes while maintaining phenotypic divergence.

TL;DR: Belyaev et al. as discussed by the authors used a tag on the back of a Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula) that had migrated to its wintering grounds in Albania, switched on its transmitter as the International Space Station (ISS) passed 410 km above, sending global positioning system (GPS) location data on the bird's recent whereabouts as well as onboard sensor data, which the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (ICARUS) receiver aboard the Russian Zvezda Module of the ISS picked up and returned to scientists back on Earth.

TL;DR: The results suggest that the range expansion and huge success of this species complex could be a result of its broad ecological niche and flexibility in the exploitation of resources, however, this also advises caution when using species distribution models to extrapolate habitat use across space.

TL;DR: Examination of natural variation in parasite exposure and immunity in several populations of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with different migratory strategies found higher activity of natural antibodies in long distance migrants from the nominate subspecies L.f.fuscus, suggesting that migration may play a role in disease dynamics of certain pathogens at the population level.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the usefulness of bio-loggers for detecting disease outbreaks in free-living birds and confirm detailed responses using leukocyte composition and large-scale transcriptomics.