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Bernieridae (1 Viewer)

Block, N. L. 2012. Cryptic diversity and phylogeography in the Bernieridae, an endemic
Malagasy passerine radiation. Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Chicago, Chicago.

[Abstract]
 
Block, N. L. 2012. Cryptic diversity and phylogeography in the Bernieridae, an endemic
Malagasy passerine radiation. Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Chicago, Chicago. [Abstract]

Belatedly, I remembered that this was a family named in 2010, but from a glance at the name, I had an irresistible fancy that somehow the name Corelli would feature, or that the background music would include a mandolin...:eek!:

Back on-thread, an interesting PhD thesis.:t:
MJB
 
Block, N. L. 2012. Cryptic diversity and phylogeography in the Bernieridae, an endemic
Malagasy passerine radiation. Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Chicago, Chicago.

[Abstract]

Nicholas L. Block:
Intraspecific sampling yielded significant cryptic diversity within the Bernieridae. In addition to the 11 traditional species, nine cryptic lineages are present that are more than 2.0% divergent at cyt-b. The phylogeny of these 20 lineages is well-resolved and all nodes are wellsupported, excepting low ML bootstrap support for the node joining Clades 1 and 2 in Xanthomixis zosterops (Fig. 4.1). This phylogeny provides the first well-supported definitions of taxonomic relationships throughout the family. I also confirm the placement of Randia pseudozosterops in Bernieridae and show that Xanthomixis is currently paraphyletic.
 
TiF Update July 11

Block (2012) confirmed that Rand's Warbler belongs in the Bernieridae. The arrangement here is based on Block (2012), who shows that the Dusky Tetraka, formerly Xanthomixis tenebrosa, belongs in Crossleyia as Crossleyia tenebrosa. Block (2012) split Bernieria inceleber, which I'm calling Pale Bernieria, from Long-billed Bernieria, Bernieria madagascariensis. He also found evidence of another cryptic species in this complex, which is yet to be described.
 
Block, N.L., S.G. Goodman, S.J. Hackett, J.M. Bates, and M.J. Raherilalao. A passerine cryptic species complex highlights the role of environmental gradients in diversification and biogeography in Madagascar. Submitted.
 
Bernieridae and Vangidae

J. Younger, J. D. Maddox, K. Wacker, C. Kyriazis, M. J. Raherilalao, S. M. Goodman, S. Reddy. Diversification of two endemic avian radiations in the biodiversity hotspot of Madagascar. IOC, Vancouver 2018, Oral Presentation.

Abstract:

Madagascar is renowned as a global biodiversity hotspot, a region of exceptional species richness providing an ideal natural laboratory for investigating the processes of avian diversification. In this study, we aimed to compare and contrast the diversification processes of two endemic radiations on Madagascar, the Bernieridae and the Vangidae, to determine whether similar speciation mechanisms generated their remarkable diversity. We sequenced genomic data (4,000 ultra-conserved element (UCE) loci) for >200 individuals, encompassing all known and putative species. We used this large-scale genomic dataset to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships within the Vangidae and Bernieridae families on Madagascar, and with their continental relatives on Africa and Asia. We estimated speciation rates through time to test the hypothesis that both families experienced an early burst of speciation upon arrival to Madagascar, and found that both showed a rate-shift consistent with adaptive radiation. We also uncovered several previously undescribed cryptic species within both families (validated with morphological data), suggesting that rates of microendemism of Madagascar’s birds may be greater than currently thought. Our study highlights an urgent need for further studies to quantify biodiversity in hotspots in order to implement necessary conservation actions.
 
Jane L. Younger, Nicholas L. Block, Marie J. Raherilalao, J. Dylan Maddox, Kristen S. Wacker, Christopher C. Kyriazis, Steven M. Goodman, Sushma Reddy. Diversification of a cryptic radiation, a closer look at Madagascar’s recently recognized bird family. bioRxiv 825687; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/825687

Abstract:

Despite its status as a global biodiversity hotspot there is still much to be discovered about the birds of Madagascar, including a full accounting of species-level diversity and the avifauna’s origins. The Bernieridae is a Malagasy endemic family that went unrecognized by science for decades and unnamed until 2010. This cryptic family has long represented a missing piece of the puzzle of the avian tree of life. We present the first comprehensive phylogeny of Bernieridae in order to examine its diversification history on Madagascar and its place within Passeriformes. In light of recent discoveries of cryptic species-level diversity in Madagascar’s vertebrate fauna, we used broad geographic sampling and integrative taxonomic methods to investigate the potential for cryptic lineages within every known species of the Bernieridae. Our approach combines phylogenomics using ∼4500 loci of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), genetic clustering of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and statistical analysis of morphological variation. These methods yielded the discovery of two unrecognized species in the previously monotypic genus Bernieria, along with new insights into patterns of fine-scale endemism in Madagascar’s humid forests. Our phylogenomic analyses provide conclusive support for Donacobiidae and Bernieridae as sister families, a biogeographically intriguing result given that the former is restricted to the Neotropics. We found a significant decline in the rate of speciation over time on Madagascar, consistent with a model of adaptive radiation. Bernieridae therefore joins the Vangidae as a second avian adaptive radiation on the island of Madagascar. These insights into the evolution of Bernieridae represent a step forward in understanding the origins and diversity of Madagascar’s endemic avifauna.

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