| 1. |
- Irestedt, Martin, et al.
(author)
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The spatio-temporal colonization and diversification across the Indo-Pacific by a 'great speciator' (Aves, Erythropitta erythrogaster).
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 280:1759, s. 20130309-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Indo-Pacific region has arguably been the most important area for the formulation of theories about biogeography and speciation, but modern studies of the tempo, mode and magnitude of diversification across this region are scarce. We study the biogeographic history and characterize levels of diversification in the wide-ranging passerine bird Erythropitta erythrogaster using molecular, phylogeographic and population genetics methods, as well as morphometric and plumage analyses. Our results suggest that E. erythrogaster colonized the Indo-Pacific during the Pleistocene in an eastward direction following a stepping stone pathway, and that sea-level fluctuations during the Pleistocene may have promoted gene flow only locally. A molecular species delimitation test suggests that several allopatric island populations of E. erythrogaster may be regarded as species. Most of these putative new species are further characterized by diagnostic differences in plumage. Our study reconfirms the E. erythrogaster complex as a 'great speciator': it represents a complex of up to 17 allopatrically distributed, reciprocally monophyletic and/or morphologically diagnosable species that originated during the Pleistocene. Our results support the view that observed latitudinal gradients of genetic divergence among avian sister species may have been affected by incomplete knowledge of taxonomic limits in tropical bird species.
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| 2. |
- Jønsson, Knud A, et al.
(author)
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Ecological and evolutionary determinants for the adaptive radiation of the Madagascan vangas.
- 2012
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 109:17, s. 6620-5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Adaptive radiation is the rapid diversification of a single lineage into many species that inhabit a variety of environments or use a variety of resources and differ in traits required to exploit these. Why some lineages undergo adaptive radiation is not well-understood, but filling unoccupied ecological space appears to be a common feature. We construct a complete, dated, species-level phylogeny of the endemic Vangidae of Madagascar. This passerine bird radiation represents a classic, but poorly known, avian adaptive radiation. Our results reveal an initial rapid increase in evolutionary lineages and diversification in morphospace after colonizing Madagascar in the late Oligocene some 25 Mya. A subsequent key innovation involving unique bill morphology was associated with a second increase in diversification rates about 10 Mya. The volume of morphospace occupied by contemporary Madagascan vangas is in many aspects as large (shape variation)--or even larger (size variation)--as that of other better-known avian adaptive radiations, including the much younger Galapagos Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. Morphological space bears a close relationship to diet, substrate use, and foraging movements, and thus our results demonstrate the great extent of the evolutionary diversification of the Madagascan vangas.
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| 3. |
- Moltesen, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Molecular phylogeny of Chloropseidae and Irenidae - cryptic species and biogeography.
- 2012
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In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 1055-7903 .- 1095-9513. ; 65:3, s. 903-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chloropseidae (Leafbirds) and Irenidae (Fairy-bluebirds) are colourful Oriental birds, which have been placed as a deep (old) branch in the radiation of passeroid songbirds. We present a densely sampled molecular phylogeny of the two families based on two nuclear introns (GAPDH and ODC) and two mitochondrial genes (ND3 and cyt-b) largely stemming from old museum specimens. Our results show that several subspecies within both Chloropseidae and Irenidae are genetically distinct and separated in the Miocene some 10-11Million years ago (Mya), indicating a substantial underestimation of species numbers within the two families. Based on our molecular findings, plumage distinctiveness and contemporary distributions we propose that several subspecies be recognised at the species level. Furthermore, we use the molecular data to examine biogeographical patterns of the two families in the light of historical geological re-arrangements in the region. The results indicate that the Philippines were colonised in the Pliocene and that colonisation probably progressed via the Sulu islands from Borneo and not via Palawan, which was first colonised in the Pleistocene.
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