I have a general interest in processes that affect speciation and species boundaries. Luckily enough, I am involved in a project that deals with the hybrid zone between the hooded Corvus corone cornix and carrion crow C. c. corone. Hybrid zones offer the possibility to study factors that are very much associated with speciation and species distribution. A presentation of the project can be found here.

I try to use different approaches when working with the crow hybrid zone. The tool set includes collecting and analysing field data, modelling, large and small-scale spatial analysis by the use of GIS and as part of collaboration, the use of molecular techniques.

Molecular techniques will allow us to get estimates of the gene flow between the hybridizing populations. We are also interested in a specific gene, namely the MC1R gene which is known to influence the amount of black (dark) expressed by individuals in some species.

Brodin, A. & Haas, F. 2006. Speciation by perception. - Animal Behaviour 72: 139-146. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.10.011 (pdf)

Brodin A. and Haas F. 2009. Hybrid zone maintenance by non-adaptive mate choice. - Evolutionary Ecology. 23: 17-29. doi:10.1007/s10682-007-9173-9

Haas, F. & Brodin, A. 2005. The Crow Corvus corone hybrid zone in southern Denmark and northern Germany. - Ibis 147: 649-656. (pdf)

Haas, F., Pointer, M. A., Saino, N., Brodin, A., Mundy, N. I. & Hansson, B. 2009. An analysis of population genetic differentiation and genotype - phenotype association across the hybrid zone of carrion and hooded crows using microsatellites and MC1R. - Molecular Ecology 18: 294-305. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.04017.x

I am involved in two different courses, one in ornithology (BIO609) and one in ecology (BIO580).