Telluraves (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kovalik]

Nicholas M.A. Crouch, Karolis Ramanauskas, Boris Igić. Tip-dating and the Origin of Telluraves. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Available online 29 October 2018, In Press, Accepted Manuscript.

Abstract:

Despite a relatively vast accumulation of molecular data, the timing of diversification of modern bird lineages remains elusive. Accurate dating of the origination of Telluraves—a clade of birds defined by their arboreality—is of particular interest, as it contains the most species-rich avian group, the passerines. Historically, neontological studies have estimated a Cretaceous origin for the group, but more recent studies have recovered Cenozoic dates, closer to the oldest known fossils for the group. We employ total-evidence dating to estimate divergence times that are expected to be both less sensitive to prior assumptions and more accurate. Specifically, we use a large collection of morphological character data from arboreal bird fossils, along with combined molecular sequence and morphological character data from extant taxa. Our analyses recover a Late Cretaceous origin for crown Telluraves, with a few lineages crossing the K-Pg boundary. Following the K-Pg boundary, our results show the group underwent rapid diversification, likely benefiting from increased ecological opportunities in the aftermath of the extinction event. We find very little confidence for the precise topological placement of many extinct taxa, possibly due to rapid diversification, paucity of character data, and rapid morphological differentiation during the early history of the group.

 

[Fred Ruhe]

Some arks by Alberta Claw (http://dml.cmnh.org/2018Oct/msg00091.html):

Of note is that this study includes the assembly of one of the largest morphological phylogenetic datasets for crown-group birds to date (782 characters). Unfortunately, the supplementary material doesn't appear to be available yet. Strangely, none of the raptorial telluravian clades (Accipitriformes/morphae, Strigiformes, and Falconiformes) were sampled, nor was Cariamiformes. Given that these groups are among the earliest-diverging lineages of Telluraves and have been suggested to represent the ancestral ecology of the group, one wonders how they might influence the analysis.

Fred

 

[Peter Kovalik]

Crouch NMA, Mason-Gamer R. 2019 Mass estimation of extinct taxa and phylogenetic hypotheses both influence analyses of character evolution in a large clade of birds (Telluraves). Proc. R. Soc. B 286: 20191745.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1745

Abstract:

Incorporating extinct taxa in phylogenetic comparative methods is rapidly becoming invaluable in studies of character evolution. An increasing number of studies have evaluated the effects of extinct taxa, and different numbers of extinct taxa, on model selection and parameter estimation. Body mass is a well-studied phenotype, but individual mass estimates may vary dramatically depending on the particular measurement used. Here, we perform an analysis of body mass evolution in a large clade of principally arboreal birds, incorporating 76 extinct species. We evaluate how different methods for estimating body mass of extinct taxa, and different phylogenetic hypotheses, affect our understanding of the rate and pattern of body mass evolution. Our results show that model selection can vary dramatically depending on the phenotypic and phylogenetic hypothesis used in the reconstruction. Even small changes in phenotype estimates can lead to different model selection and, as a result, affect the inferred evolutionary history. The best-fit models support an increase in the rate of evolution following the K–Pg boundary, with variation accumulating linearly through the Cenozoic. These results provide additional insight into the application of comparative models of evolution, as well as the evolutionary history of one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations.

 

[Daniel Philippe]

Genomic bases underlying the adaptive radiation of core landbirds - BMC Ecology and Evolution

Background Core landbirds undergo adaptive radiation with different ecological niches, but the genomic bases that underlie their ecological diversification remain unclear. Results Here we used the genome-wide target enrichment sequencing of the genes related to vision, hearing, language...

bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com