Genetic diversity patterns in five protist species occurring in lakes (2009)
Logares, R, Boltovskoy, A, Bensch, S, Laybourn-Parry, J, Rengefors, K
Little is known about the extent of the genetic diversity and its structuring patterns in protist species living in lakes. Here, we have investigated the genetic diversity patterns within five...
A new Coccidia species is reported from the natural population of Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) in northern Germany. Sporulated oocysts were found in faeces from 6 of 8 sampled adults. The...
Haemosporidian Blood Parasites in European Birds of Prey and Owls (2008)
O. Krone, J. Waldenström, G. Valkiūnas, O. Lessow, K. Müller, T. A. Iezhova, ...
Avian blood parasites have been intensively studied using morphological methods with limited information on their host specificity and species taxonomic status. Now the analysis of gene sequences,...
Haemosporidian Blood Parasites in European Birds of Prey and Owls (2008)
O. Krone, J. Waldenström, G. Valkiūnas, O. Lessow, K. Müller, T. A. Iezhova, ...
Avian blood parasites have been intensively studied using morphological methods with limited information on their host specificity and species taxonomic status. Now the analysis of gene sequences,...
Temporal dynamics and diversity of avian malaria parasites in a single host species (2007)
Bensch, S, Waldenström, J, Jonzen, N, Westerdahl, H, Hansson, B, Sejberg, D, ...
We have used molecular methods to unravel a remarkable diversity of parasite lineages in a long-term population study of great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus that was not foreseen from...
Detecting shifts of transmission areas in avian blood parasites - a phylogenetic approach (2007)
Hellgren, O, Waldenström, J, Perez-Tris, J, Ösi, ES, Hasselquist, D, Krizanauskiene, A, ...
We investigated the degree of geographical shifts of transmission areas of vector-borne avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) over ecological and evolutionary timescales....
Åkesson, M, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
We present estimates of standardized selection (directional and quadratic) differentials via reproductive success on eight morphological traits in a newly founded long-term study population of great...
Round, PD, Hansson, B, Pearson, DJ, Kennerley, PR, Bensch, S
We present compelling evidence of the continued existence of the large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus, hitherto known only from the unique type specimen collected in NW India 139 years ago....
No evidence for inbreeding avoidance in a great reed warbler population (2007)
Hansson, B, Jack, L, Christians, JK, Pemberton, JM, Åkesson, M, Westerdahl, H, ...
Inbreeding depression may drive the evolution of inbreeding avoidance through dispersal and mate choice. In birds, many species show female-biased dispersal, which is an effective inbreeding...
Conflicting patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA diversity in Phylloscopus warblers (2006)
Bensch, S, Irwin, D, Irwin, J, Kvist, L, Åkesson, S
Molecular variation is often used to infer the demographic history of species, but sometimes the complexity of species history can make such inference difficult. The willow warbler, Phylloscopus...
Forstmeier, W, Hasselquist, D, Bensch, S, Leisler, B
Song complexity is often regarded as a sexually selected trait that reflects the overall quality of a male. In many passerine species, old males possess larger song repertoires than younger males....
Janssen, K, Erikstad, KE, Bensch, S
The maintenance of plumage color polymorphism ill the parasitic jaeger (Stecorarius parasiticus) is still not well understood. Earlier studies indicated that selection may favor pale females and...
Reullier, J, Perez-Tris, J, Bensch, S, Secondi, J
Research on contact zones has paid relatively little attention to host-parasite interactions, although these situations have important but different implications depending on whether one considers...
Valkiunas, G, Bensch, S, Iezhova, TA, Krizanauskiene, A, Hellgren, O, Bolshakov, CV
Numerous polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods have been developed and used increasingly to screen vertebrate blood samples for the diagnosis of haemosporidian blood parasites (Sporozoa,...
Bensch, S, Bengtsson, G, Åkesson, S
We conducted stable isotope analyses of nitrogen and carbon on feathers obtained from willow warblers in Africa to find an explanation for a previously observed pattern of different delta N-15 and...
Spreading introgression in the wake of a moving contact zone (2006)
Secondi, J, Faivre, B, Bensch, S
An increasing number of studies describe moving hybrid zones. This raises the issue of their actual frequency and emphasizes the need for methods that enable the detection of zone movements without...
Partecke, J, Gwinner, E, Bensch, S
Because of the extreme ecological and environmental changes along an urban-rural gradient, it has been proposed that urbanised and non-urbanised populations of the same species may be distinctly...
Global phylogeographic limits of Hawaii's avian malaria (2006)
Beadell, JS, Ishtiaq, F, Covas, R, Melo, M, Warren, BH, Atkinson, CT, ...
The introduction of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) to Hawaii has provided a model system for studying the influence of exotic disease on naive host populations. Little is known, however, about...
Selection for Heterozygosity Gives Hope to a Wild Population of Inbred Wolves (2006)
Bensch, S, Andren, H, Hansson, B, Pedersen, HC, Sand, H, Sejberg, D, ...
Recent analyses have questioned the usefulness of heterozygosity estimates as measures of the inbreeding coefficient (f ), a finding that may have dramatic consequences for the management of...
Janssen, K, Erikstad, KE, Bensch, S
The maintenance of plumage color polymorphism in the parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) is still not well understood. Earlier studies indicated that selection may favor pale females and...
A new race of Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida in Somalia (2005)
Ash, JS, Pearson, DJ, Bensch, S
Abstract is not available
Ten years of AFLP in ecology and evolution: why so few animals? (2005)
Researchers in the field of molecular ecology and evolution require versatile and low-cost genetic typing methods. The AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) method was introduced 10 years ago...
Helbig, AJ, Seibold, I, Kocum, A, Liebers, D, Irwin, J, Bergmanis, U, ...
Greater and lesser spotted eagles (Aquila clanga, A. pomarina) are two closely related forest eagles overlapping in breeding range in east-central Europe. In recent years a number of mixed pairs have...
Severe inbreeding depression in a wild wolf (Canis lupus) population (2005)
Liberg, O, Andren, H, Pedersen, HC, Sand, H, Sejberg, D, Wabakken, P, ...
The difficulty of obtaining pedigrees for wild populations has hampered the possibility of demonstrating inbreeding depression in nature. In a small, naturally restored, wild population of grey...
Differentiation and phylogeny of the olivaceous warbler Hippolais pallida species complex (2005)
Ottosson, U, Bensch, S, Svensson, L, Waldenström, J
The pattern of phenotypic and molecular variation within the polytypic olivaceous warbler H. pallida was examined. This species is distributed in the southern parts of the western Palaearctic,...
Ottvall, R, Höglund, J, Bensch, S, Larsson, K
The redshank (Tringa totanus) is declining throughout Europe and to implement efficient conservation measures, it is important to obtain information about the population genetic structure. The aim of...
Birds harbouring several malarial parasites are common in the wild, and resolving such multiple infections is important for our understanding of host-parasite relationships. We propose a simple and...
Dispersal increases local transmission of avian malarial parasites (2005)
The relationships between dispersal and local transmission rate of parasites are essential to understanding host-parasite coevolution and the emergence and spread of novel disease threats. Here we...
What are malaria parasites? (2005)
Perez-Tris, J, Hasselquist, D, Hellgren, O, Krizanauskiene, A, Waldenström, J, Bensch, S
Abstract is not available
Associations between malaria and MHC genes in a migratory songbird (2005)
Westerdahl, H, Waldenström, J, Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Von Schantz, T, Bensch, S
Malaria parasites are a widespread and species-rich group infecting many wild populations of mammals, birds and reptiles. Studies on humans have demonstrated that genetic factors play a key role in...
Speciation by distance in a ring species. (2005)
Irwin, DI, Bensch, S, Irwin, JH, Price, T
Ring species, which consist of two reproductively isolated forms connected by a chain of intergrading populations, have often been described as examples of speciation despite gene flow between...
Does mate guarding prevent rival mating in snow skinks? A test using AFLP (2005)
Olsson, M, Ujvari, B, Wapstra, E, Madsen, T, Shine, R, Bensch, S
We report on likely mixed paternity in a natural population of snow skinks (Niveoscincus mirolepidoms) from alpine Tasmania, Australia. This species is nonterritorial and males guard females after...
Does mate guarding prevent rival mating in snow skinks? A test using AFLP (2005)
Olsson, M, Ujvari, B, Wapstra, E, Madsen, T, Shine, R, Bensch, S
We report on likely mixed paternity in a natural population of snow skinks (Niveoscincus mirolepidotus) from alpine Tasmania, Australia. This species is nonterritorial and males guard females after...
Does mate guarding prevent rival mating in snow skinks? A test using AFLP (2005)
Olsson, M, Ujvari, B, Wapstra, E, Madsen, T, Shine, R, Bensch, S
We report on likely mixed paternity in a natural population of snow skinks (Niveoscincus mirolepidotus) from alpine Tasmania, Australia. This species is nonterritorial and males guard females after...
Does mate guarding prevent rival mating in snow skinks? A test using AFLP (2005)
Olsson, M, Ujvari, B, Wapstra, E, Madsen, T, Shine, R, Bensch, S
We report on likely mixed paternity in a natural population of snow skinks (Niveoscincus mirolepidotus) from alpine Tasmania, Australia. This species is nonterritorial and males guard females after...
J. Waldenström, S. Bensch, D. Hasselquist, Ö. Östman
Recently, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based methods for detection and genetic identification of haemosporidian parasites in avian blood have been developed. Most of these have...
Lifetime fitness of short- and long-distance dispersing great reed warblers (2004)
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
Dispersal is of prime importance for many evolutionary processes and has been studied for decades. The reproductive consequences of dispersal have proven difficult to study, simply because it is...
Breeding synchrony does not affect extra-pair paternity in great reed warblers (2004)
Arlt, D, Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Von Schantz, T, Hasselquist, D
Breeding synchrony is hypothesised to influence the occurrence and frequency of extra-pair fertilisations (EPFs) in birds irrespective of the social mating system. The two proposed hypotheses make...
Pearson, DJ, Ash, JS, Bensch, S
Abstract is not available
Hellgren, O, Waldenström, J, Bensch, S
Many bird species host several lineages of apicomplexan blood parasites (Protista spp., Haemosporida spp.), some of which are shared across different host species. To understand such complex systems,...
Historical diversification of migration patterns in a passerine bird (2004)
Perez-Tris, J, Bensch, S, Carbonell, R, Helbig, AJ, Telleria, JL
Migratory strategies of birds require complex orientation mechanisms, morphological adaptations, and life-history adjustments. From an evolutionary perspective, it is important to know how fast this...
Saether, BE, Engen, S, Lande, R, Moller, AP, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, ...
1. Population viability models usually consider only the female segment of the population. However, random variation in sex ratio as well as the mating system may also affect variation in fitness...
Do female great reed warblers seek extra-pair fertilizations to avoid inbreeding? (2004)
Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Bensch, S
Females of many species mate with several males. According to a recent hypothesis, female promiscuity serves to avoid inbreeding. We tested this hypothesis in a polygynous bird, the great reed...
Bensch, S, Perez-Tris, J, Waldenström, J, Hellgren, O
Analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome b diversity among avian blood parasites of the genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium suggest that there might be as many lineages of parasites as there are species...
Rosivall, B, Török, J, Hasselquist, D, Bensch, S
Recently, a number of studies have found adaptive brood sex ratio (BSR) manipulation in birds. The reason for such manipulations is thought to be the different reproductive value of male and female...
Westerdahl, H, Wittzell, H, Von Schantz, T, Bensch, S
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has a central role in the specific immune defence of vertebrates. Exon 3 of MHC class I genes encodes the domain that binds and presents peptides from...
Vertebrate host specificity of wild-caught blackflies revealed by mitochondrial DNA in blood (2004)
Malmqvist, B, Strasevicius, D, Hellgren, O, Adler, PH, Bensch, S
Blood-feeding blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) transmit pathogens, harass vertebrate hosts and may cause lethal injuries in attacked victims, but with traditional methods it has proved difficult to...
Observation of a ZZW female in a natural population: implications for avian sex determination (2004)
Arlt, D, Bensch, S, Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Westerdahl, H
Avian sex determination is chromosomal; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. There is no conclusive evidence for either of two proposed mechanisms: a dominant genetic switch or...
Hansson, B, Westerdahl, H, Hasselquist, D, Åkesson, M, Bensch, S
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) at noncoding genetic markers are commonly assumed to reflect fitness effects of heterozygosity at genomewide distributed genes in partially inbred...
Between-year variation of MHC allele frequencies in great reed warblers: selection or drift? (2004)
Westerdahl, H, Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are extremely polymorphic and this variation is assumed to be maintained by balancing selection. Cyclic interactions between pathogens and their hosts...
Waldenström, J, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, Östman, Ö
\Recently, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for detection and genetic identification of haemosporidian parasites in avian blood have been developed. Most of these have...
Svensson, E. I., Kristoffersen, L., Oskarsson, K., Bensch, S.
The importance of sexual selection in population divergence is of much interest, mainly because it is thought to cause reproductive isolation and hence could lead to speciation. Sexually selected...
Family structure in the Siberian Jay as revealed by microsatellite analyses (2003)
Lillandt, BG, Bensch, S, Von Schantz, T
The Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) lives in resident, territorial family groups outside the breeding season, but does not breed cooperatively. Thereby it offers an opportunity to study the...
Temporal and spatial variation of hematozoans in Scandinavian willow warblers (2003)
We examined temporal and geographical distribution of Haemoproteus sp. and Plasmodium sp. parasites in Swedish willow warblers, Phylloscopus trochilus. Parasite lineages were detected with molecular...
Heritability of dispersal in the great reed warbler (2003)
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
Dispersal is commonly considered to be a condition-dependent behaviour with no or low heritability. Here, we show that dispersal in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus ) has a high...
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
We use the assignment technique and a new approach, the 'novel allele technique', to detect sex-biased dispersal in great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus . The data set consisted of...
Bensch, S, Helbig, AJ, Salomon, M, Seibold, I
In the western Pyrenees (Southwest France and Northwest Spain), a narrow hybrid zone exists between the common chiffchaff Phylloscopus (collybita) collybita and the Iberian chiffchaff Phylloscopus...
Bensch, S, Åkesson, S, Irwin, DE
We used the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method to obtain genetic markers distinguishing two subspecies of willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus that have different migratory...
Lillandt, BG, Bensch, S, Hansson, B, Wennerberg, L, Von Schantz, T
Abstract is not available
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
For most species, it is currently not known whether individual characteristics and population parameters affecting dispersal distances within the local population are also affecting dispersal of...
Cross-species infection of blood parasites between resident and migratory songbirds in Africa (2002)
Waldenström, J., Bensch, S., Kiboi, S., Hasselquist, D., Ottosson, U.
We studied the phylogeny of avian haemosporidian parasites, Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, in a number of African resident and European migratory songbird species sampled during spring and autumn in...
The Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus revisited (2002)
The Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus is known only from the type specimen, collected in Himachal Pradesh, India, in 1867. The specimen is poorly prepared, and it has been suggested that...
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, Nielsen, B
In patchily distributed species dispersal connects local populations into metapopulations. Reliable quantifications of dispersal are therefore crucial to understanding the population dynamics and...
Links between worlds: unraveling migratory connectivity (2002)
Webster, MS, Marra, PP, Haig, SM, Bensch, S, Holmes, RT
Migration is the regular seasonal movement of animals from one place to another, often from a breeding site to a nonbreeding site and back. Because the act of migration makes it difficult to follow...
Ottvall, R, Bensch, S, Walinder, G, Lifjeld, JT
The remarkable variation in plumage and morphological characters in the redpoll complex Carduelis flammea-hornemanni has puzzled taxonomists for several decades. In contrast, molecular studies have...
Åkesson, S, Bensch, S, Hedenström, A, Irwin, DE
We examined the occurrence of blowfly larvae Trypocalliphora brauneri in Swedish willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus nestlings at three nearby breeding sites in Central Sweden. The occurrence of...
Helbig, AJ, Salomon, M, Bensch, S, Seibold, I
Mating pattern and gene flow were studied in the contact zone between two morphologically very similar Chiffchaff taxa (Phylloscopus collybita, P. brehmii) in SW France and northern Spain. Mating was...
Microsatellite diversity predicts recruitment of sibling great reed warblers (2001)
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, Åkesson, M
Inbreeding increases the level of homozygosity, which in turn might depress fitness. In addition, individuals having the same inbreeding coefficient (e.g. siblings) vary in homozygosity. The...
Irwin, DE, Bensch, S, Price, TD
The evolutionary divergence of a single species into two has never been directly observed in nature, primarily because speciation can take a long time to occur. A ring species, in which a chain of...
Food resources and territory quality in the polygynous Great Reed Warbler (2001)
Bensch, S., Hasselquist, D, Nielsen, B, Nihlen, C, Frodin, P
No abstract is available
Bensch, S, Nilsson, LGR, Nothagen, P, Olsson, P, Åkesson, M
Abstract is not available
Lillandt, BG, Bensch, S, Von Schantz, T
Abstract is not available
Partial albinism in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers (2000)
Bensch, S, Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Nielsen, B
Albinism in birds is thought to result from the expression of recessive alleles that disrupt melanin pigmentation at feather development. We have studied great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus...
Hansson, MC, Bensch, S, Brännström, O
The Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita is represented in Sweden by two different subspecies; the northern well-established abietinus and the southern recently established collybita which has expanded...
Nowicki, S, Hasselquist, D, Bensch, S, Peters, S
Females of many songbird species show a preference for mating with males that have larger song repertoires, but the advantages associated with this preference are uncertain. We tested the hypothesis...
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, Lillandt, BG, Wennerberg, L, Von Schantz, T
Genetic similarity within pairs of individuals was examined using both 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci and multi-locus DNA fingerprinting profiles in a semi-isolated population of great reed...
The quality and the timing hypotheses evaluated using data on great reed warblers (2000)
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
The seasonal decline in reproductive success observed in many animal species may be caused by timing per se (timing hypothesis) or by variation in phenotypic quality between early and late breeding...
Bensch, S, Stjernman, M, Hasselquist, D, Östman, Ö, Hansson, B, Westerdahl, H, ...
A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus,...
Sejberg, D, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
Most studies of social polygyny in birds have examined male provisioning on the basis of the number of feeding visits. This may be misleading if males compensate for infrequent visits by bringing...
Westerdahl, H, Bensch, S, Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Von Schantz, T
The theory of parental investment and brood sex ratio manipulation predicts that parents should invest in the more costly sex during conditions when resources are abundant. In the polygynous great...
Patterns of nest predation contribute to polygyny in the Great Reed Warbler (2000)
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D
According to the polygyny threshold model, females are compensated for the cost of sharing a territory with other females by breeding in territories of higher quality than those of monogamously mated...
Mitochondrial genomic rearrangements in songbirds (2000)
The organization of the mitochondrial genome is generally very conserved among vertebrates. Because of this, examination of the rare rearrangements which do occur has been suggested as offering a...
Chamberlain, CP, Bensch, S, Feng, X, Åkesson, S, Andersson, T
The C and N isotopes of feathers from two subspecies of willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus trochilus and Phylloscopus trochilus acredula) are isotopically distinct. Our analysis of 138 adult...
Microsatellite diversity predicts recruitment of sibling great reed warblers.
Hansson, B, Bensch, S, Hasselquist, D, Akesson, M
Inbreeding increases the level of homozygosity, which in turn might depress fitness. In addition, individuals having the same inbreeding coefficient (e.g. siblings) vary in homozygosity. The...
Good genes, oxidative stress and condition-dependent sexual signals.
Von Schantz, T, Bensch, S, Grahn, M, Hasselquist, D, Wittzell, H
The immune and the detoxication systems of animals are characterized by allelic polymorphisms, which underlie individual differences in ability to combat assaults from pathogens and toxic compounds....
Chamberlain, C P, Bensch, S, Feng, X, Akesson, S, Andersson, T
The C and N isotopes of feathers from two subspecies of willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus trochilus and Phylloscopus trochilus acredula) are isotopically distinct. Our analysis of 138 adult...
Bensch, S, Stjernman, M, Hasselquist, D, Ostman, O, Hansson, B, Westerdahl, H, ...
A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus,...
Nowicki, S, Hasselquist, D, Bensch, S, Peters, S
Females of many songbird species show a preference for mating with males that have larger song repertoires, but the advantages associated with this preference are uncertain. We tested the hypothesis...
Observation of a ZZW female in a natural population: implications for avian sex determination.
Arit, D, Bensch, S, Hansson, B, Hasselquist, D, Westerdahl, H
Avian sex determination is chromosomal; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. There is no conclusive evidence for either of two proposed mechanisms: a dominant genetic switch or...