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Rallidae (1 Viewer)

Chaves, J.A., P.J. Martinez-Torres, E.A. Depino, S. Espinoza-Ulloa, J. García-Loor, A.C. Beichman, and M. Stervander (2020)
Evolutionary history of the Galápagos Rail revealed by ancient mitogenomes and modern samples
Diversity 12: 425
doi: 10.3390/d12110425
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/11/425

The biotas of the Galápagos Islands are one of the best studied island systems and have provided a broad model for insular species’ origins and evolution. Nevertheless, some locally endemic taxa, such as the Galápagos Rail Laterallus spilonota, remain poorly characterized. Owing to its elusive behavior, cryptic plumage, and restricted distribution, the Galápagos Rail is one of the least studied endemic vertebrates of the Galapagos Islands. To date, there is no genetic data for this species, leaving its origins, relationships to other taxa, and levels of genetic diversity uncharacterized. This lack of information is critical given the adverse fate of island rail species around the world in the recent past. Here, we examine the genetics of Galápagos Rails using a combination of mitogenome de novo assembly with multilocus nuclear and mitochondrial sequencing from both modern and historical samples. We show that the Galápagos Rail is part of the "American black rail clade", sister to the Black Rail L. jamaicensis, with a colonization of Galápagos dated to 1.2 million years ago. A separate analysis of one nuclear and two mitochondrial markers in the larger population samples demonstrates a shallow population structure across the islands, possibly due to elevated island connectivity. Additionally, birds from the island Pinta possessed the lowest levels of genetic diversity, possibly reflecting past population bottlenecks associated with overgrazing of their habitat by invasive goats. The modern and historical data presented here highlight the low genetic diversity in this endemic rail species and provide useful information to guide conservation efforts.
 
Garcia-R. J.C. & Matzke N.J. (2021). Trait-dependent dispersal in rails (Aves: Rallidae): Historical biogeography of a cosmopolitan bird clade. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, available online 16 February 2021, In press.
www.sciencedirect.com

Trait-dependent dispersal in rails (Aves: Rallidae): Historical biogeography of a cosmopolitan bird clade

The ability of lineages to disperse over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the gain or loss of traits after adaptation to new ecological co…
www.sciencedirect.com www.sciencedirect.com

Abstract​

The ability of lineages to disperse over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the gain or loss of traits after adaptation to new ecological conditions. For example, rails (Aves: Rallidae) have many cases of flightless insular endemic species that presumably evolved after flying ancestors dispersed over large ocean barriers and became isolated. Nonetheless, the details of how flying and its loss have influenced the clade’s historical biogeography are unknown, as is the importance of other predictors of dispersal such as the geographic distance between regions. Here, we used a dated phylogeny of 158 species of rails to compare trait-dependent and trait-independent biogeography models in BioGeoBEARS. We evaluated a probabilistic historical biogeographical model that allows geographic range and flight to co-evolve and influence dispersal ability on a phylogeny. The best-fitting dispersal model was a trait-dependent dispersal model (DEC+j +x+t21+m1) that accrued 85.2% of the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) model weight. The distance-dependence parameter, x was estimated at -0.54, ranging from -0.49 to -0.65 across models, suggesting that a doubling of dispersal distance results in an approximately 31% decrease in dispersal rate (2-0.54 = 0.69). The estimated rate of loss of flight (t21) was similar across all models (∼0.029 loss events per lineage per million years). The multiplier on dispersal rate when a lineage is non-flying, m1, is estimated to be 0.38 under this model. Surprisingly, the estimate of m1 was not 0.0, probably because the loss of flight is so common in the rails that entire clades of flightless species are found in the data, forcing the model to attribute some dispersal to flightless lineages. These results indicate that long-distance dispersal over macroevolutionary timespans can be modelled, rather than simply attributed to chance, allowing support for different hypotheses to be quantified and model limitations to be identified. Overall, by combining new analytical methods with a comprehensive phylogenomic dataset, we use a quantitative framework to show how traits influence dispersal capacity and eventually shape geographical distributions at a macroevolutionary scale.
 
Jim LeNomenclatoriste said:
Garcia-R. J.C. & Matzke N.J. (2021). Trait-dependent dispersal in rails (Aves: Rallidae): Historical biogeography of a cosmopolitan bird clade. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, available online 16 February 2021, In press.
www.sciencedirect.com

Trait-dependent dispersal in rails (Aves: Rallidae): Historical biogeography of a cosmopolitan bird clade

The ability of lineages to disperse over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the gain or loss of traits after adaptation to new ecological co…
www.sciencedirect.com www.sciencedirect.com

Abstract​

The ability of lineages to disperse over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the gain or loss of traits after adaptation to new ecological conditions. For example, rails (Aves: Rallidae) have many cases of flightless insular endemic species that presumably evolved after flying ancestors dispersed over large ocean barriers and became isolated. Nonetheless, the details of how flying and its loss have influenced the clade’s historical biogeography are unknown, as is the importance of other predictors of dispersal such as the geographic distance between regions. Here, we used a dated phylogeny of 158 species of rails to compare trait-dependent and trait-independent biogeography models in BioGeoBEARS. We evaluated a probabilistic historical biogeographical model that allows geographic range and flight to co-evolve and influence dispersal ability on a phylogeny. The best-fitting dispersal model was a trait-dependent dispersal model (DEC+j +x+t21+m1) that accrued 85.2% of the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) model weight. The distance-dependence parameter, x was estimated at -0.54, ranging from -0.49 to -0.65 across models, suggesting that a doubling of dispersal distance results in an approximately 31% decrease in dispersal rate (2-0.54 = 0.69). The estimated rate of loss of flight (t21) was similar across all models (∼0.029 loss events per lineage per million years). The multiplier on dispersal rate when a lineage is non-flying, m1, is estimated to be 0.38 under this model. Surprisingly, the estimate of m1 was not 0.0, probably because the loss of flight is so common in the rails that entire clades of flightless species are found in the data, forcing the model to attribute some dispersal to flightless lineages. These results indicate that long-distance dispersal over macroevolutionary timespans can be modelled, rather than simply attributed to chance, allowing support for different hypotheses to be quantified and model limitations to be identified. Overall, by combining new analytical methods with a comprehensive phylogenomic dataset, we use a quantitative framework to show how traits influence dispersal capacity and eventually shape geographical distributions at a macroevolutionary scale.
Click to expand...
Garcia-R. J.C. & Matzke N.J. (2021):
The only major difference, apart from the inclusion of numerous extinct and extant species added for the first time in a robust phylogenetic framework, is that species within Gymnocrex are shown as sister taxa of Himantornis haemotopus. This result hinges on morphological data from Gymnocrex species, and this clade forms a basal split, making it the sister of all remaining clades.
Click to expand...
Typo: Porzana servernsi should be P. severnsi
 
My generic classification of Rallidae, as usual (with species number in parenthesis)

Subfamily Himantornithinae
Gymnocrex (3)
Himantornis (1)

Subfamily Rallinae
Amaurolimnas (1)
Anurolimnas (1)
Aramides (8)
Aramidopsis (1)
Biensis (1, B. madagascariensis new comb.)
Cabalus (1)
Canirallus (1)
Crecopsis (1, Crecopsis egregia, ex Crex)
Crex (1)
Cyanolimnas (1)
Dryolimnas (1)
Epirallus (6, ex Rallus)
Eulabeornis (1)
Gallirallus (1)
''New genus'' (for ''G.'' calayanensis. Calayania ?)
Habroptila (1)
Hypotaenidia (14)
Lewinia (4)
Mustelirallus (1)
Neocrex (2)
Pardirallus (3)
Rallus (6)
Rougetius (1)
Tricholimnas (1)

Subfamily Gallinulinae
Aenigmatolimnas (1, marginalis)
Amaurornis (4)
Coturnicops (3, including notatus)
Creciscus (5)
Fulica (10)
Gallicrex (1)
Gallinula (3)
Hapalocrex (1)
Laterallus (5)
''New genus'' (for ''Laterallus'' exilis, Leptocrex?)
Limnobaenus (3, including sandwichensis)
Limnocorax (7)
Megacrex (1)
Micropygia (1)
Oenolimnas (2, akool and isabellina)
Paragallinula (1)
Pareudiastes (2)
Poliolimnas (1)
Porphyrio (10)
Porphyriops (1)
Porphyriornis (2)
Porphyrula (3)
Porzana (3)
Rallina (4)
Rufirallus (3, including levraudi and ruber, ex Laterallus)
Tribonyx (2)
Zapornia (3)
 
A lot of new exciting stuff here to unpack!

By far in my view is where the extinct Hawaiian rails end up, which are all over the place! Even weirder, the species pairs from the same island end up (more or less) together: Ziegler's and Ralph's from Oahu are part of the Gallirallus-clade while Kepler's and Severns's from Maui are true Zapornia. Weirdest is the Molokai Crake, part of South American Rufirallus!

Other interesting issues:
  • The Tristan & Gough moorhens (+Hodgen's Waterhen in NZ!) are outside Gallinula+Fulica, just like Paragallinula. Three young branches of moorhen that essentially are identical. Add to that the odd moorhen-like Red-fronted Coot and it appears the coots are nothing but odd moorhen.
  • The Samoan and Makira Moorhen are as expected not true Gallinula but sister to (Porphyriops (Tribonyx (”Atlantic Moorhen”(Gallinula+Fulica)))).
  • Santa Isabel Rail is sister to Snoring Rail, not at all part of Solomon Rail! I’m sceptical though, could this be right?
  • Newly split Aramides albiventris is also not monophyletic, and neither are the cave rails.
  • Saint Helena Crake (astrictocarpus) and Ascension Crake are both, logically, part of the Laterallus radiation, while the Saint Helena Rail (Aphanocrex) is sister to the swamphen. Confusingly, both Clements and BLI have the English names switched around on the Saint Helena species and also place Aphanocrex in Atlantisia. Do they have them mixed up?
  • Hova Gallinule is no gallinule but sister to Megacrex!
  • Isabelline Bush-hen is part of the Zapornia-clade, not Amaurornis.
  • Chestnut-headed Crake is not close to Rufirallus after all as previously assumed but part of the Aramides-clade. Welcome back Anurolimnas!
  • Madagascar Rail is not a Rallus but sister to Crex+Lewinia
  • Red Rail and Snipe Rail part of the Cabalus-clade
  • Calayan Rail is on its own branch, which makes sense
  • Zapornia is OLD! Four clades, the youngest split older than many genera. It sure makes sense to split it up, preferably into four, but at least break away Limnocorax.
  • Himantornis is after all an odd bird, here considered closest to Gymnocrex. Both break away almost 40 MYA.

Contrary to LeNomenclatorist I’d rather keep a few genera lumped to make as few changes as possible. That means (compared to the above)
  • Keep Rallus intact (no Epirallus)
  • Fold Creciscus and Hapalocrex in Laterallus (no new genus for exilis needed)
  • Fold Tricholaema, Aphanapteryx and Capellirallus in Cabalus

And also, though not at all status quo:
* Fold Gallinula, Porphyriornis and Paragallinula in Fulica (keeps the Atlantic moorhen in Gallinula)

After this, it seems like almost all the rails have been analyzed. I¨m only missing Canirallus, the Talaud rails and Azure Gallinule. I wouldn’t be surprised if the latter would end up somewhere else.

Oh, and those remaining extinct rails of course. I’m guessing the Pacific Gallirallus are Hypotaenidia and the Mangaia Crake is a true Zapornia. But then again, if the Hawaiian ones were all over the place, so could they. And what about Vitirallus? And Reunion Rail?
 
gusasp said:
  • The Tristan & Gough moorhens (+Hodgen's Waterhen in NZ!) are outside Gallinula+Fulica, just like Paragallinula. Three young branches of moorhen that essentially are identical. Add to that the odd moorhen-like Red-fronted Coot and it appears the coots are nothing but odd moorhen.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Gough moorhens brought to zoos in Europe in the late 20. century freely hybridized with local moorhens and the breeding program was lost.
 
Fold Creciscus and Hapalocrex in Laterallus (no new genus for exilis needed)
Click to expand...
Will be interesting to see the SACC discussion on this. 1 genus is the conservative approach, but 4 genus-approach seems to line up nice:

  • yellow-breasted (Hapalocrex flaviventer)
  • grey-breasted (exilis)
  • red-breasted (Laterallus)
  • dark (Creciscus)


* Fold Gallinula, Porphyriornis and Paragallinula in Fulica (keeps the Atlantic moorhen in Gallinula)
Click to expand...
Previous species taken out of Gallinula was to keep this from happening, so I doubt this will happen. Also don't see the point in breaking up Laterallus or Zapornia if these are merged.


Keep Rallus intact (no Epirallus)
Click to expand...
Agreed, I don't see the need touch Rallus
 
Markus Lagerqvist said:
Do they say which ssp of Woodford's Rail they sampled, that was not sister to the Isabel one, Bougainville, Guadalcanal or Malaita?
Click to expand...
They have Gallirallus woodfordi as sister to Gallirallus poecilopterus (within a larger group including most traditional Gallirallus), and Gallirallus immaculatus as sister to Aramidopsis plateni (within a group including Dryolimnas/Lewinia/Rallus madagascariensis/Crex).

There is no mention of tertius or the un-named Malaita form.
 

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