CONCLUSIONS
We sequenced whole genomes at low to moderate coverage for two
populations each of six montane forest bird species, to test if the
Great Rift Valley (GRV) is a barrier to dispersal in a taxonomic group
with relatively high dispersal ability. We found that we were able to
distinguish individuals from either side of the GRV using genetic
clustering and phylogenomic methods. The magnitude of genetic
differentiation varied by species, with relatively poorer dispersers
generally exhibiting higher amounts of genetic differentiation.
Additionally, isolation with migration models indicated varied patterns
of connectivity and divergence over the past 350,000 years among these
six taxa. We found that each species generally had unique demographic
histories, with some species exhibiting different demographic histories
on either side of the GRV. Lastly, we found that demographic history
explained more than 80% of the variance in genomic diversity across
samples, while dispersal ability was not correlated with genomic
diversity.