Evolution of Berthelot’s Pipit song in Macaronesia
Are you interested in the field of behavioural ecology and bioacoustics? At the Bioacoustics Group of
Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), we are looking for a highly motivated student to join our
team to study the evolution of song in Berthelot’s pipits.
Berthelot’s Pipit (Anthus berthelotii) is a sedentary and endemic species to three of the Macaronesian
archipelagos: Madeira, Selvagens, and the Canary Islands. The colonization history of this species has
been reconstructed from genetic and morphological data, however, patterns of song evolution between
its populations, naturally fragmented over the evolutionary timescale, remain unknown.
Birdsong develops under the influence of vocal learning and is culturally transmitted. By learning from
parents and neighbours, cultural transmission may maintain certain song types within populations over
generations. If considered in terms of speciation, song learning might accelerate song divergence, and
potentially contribute to allopatric speciation when populations become geographically isolated (e.g.,
islands separated by ocean barriers). Because oceanic islands are geographically discrete units, they
provide suitable systems to understand evolutionary diversification processes.
The main aim of this project will be to explore the intraspecific geographic variation of songs in this
insular species, and this way assess if islands and archipelagos have matching patterns of acoustic and
genetic differentiation.
This project is data-based since recordings from most of the islands have been already collected. The
main task of the prospective student will be to measure and analyze these recordings using bioacoustics
software. Experience using bioacoustics software is welcome but not essential; if needed, the student
can be trained in the use of specialized software for bioacoustics studies such as the widely used Avisoft
and the up-and-coming Luscinia.
The project is suitable for BSc or MSc Students that want to conduct their thesis abroad or for short
traineeships (e.g. one semester). Student from European universities can get money to cover/reduce
monthly living costs by applying for Erasmus funding at their home institutions (e.g. Erasmus +
traineeship grant). More information about Erasmus + traineeship programme: https://erasmus-
plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/individuals/students/traineeship-student
If interested, please contact Tereza Petrusková (kumstatova@post.cz.)
Do you want to know more about our research group? Check the following link:
https://www.natur.cuni.cz/biology/ecology/research/ongoing-projects/bioacoustic-research-
group/about
https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Bioacoustics-Group-Tereza-Petruskova
Twitter: @Bioacoustics_CU
