Into and out of the tropics: the generation of the latitudinal gradient among New World passerine birds

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1746-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Kennedy ◽  
Zhiheng Wang ◽  
Jason T. Weir ◽  
Carsten Rahbek ◽  
Jon Fjeldså ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
The Tropics

scholarly journals Character displacement drives trait divergence in a continental fauna

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (20) ◽  
pp. e2021209118
Author(s):  
Sean A. S. Anderson ◽  
Jason T. Weir
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Trait Divergence ◽  
The Tropics

Coexisting (sympatric) pairs of closely related species are often characterized by exaggerated trait differences. This widespread pattern is consistent with adaptation for reduced similarity due to costly interactions (i.e., “character displacement”)—a classic hypothesis in evolutionary theory. But it is equally consistent with a community assembly bias in which lineages with greater trait differences are more likely to establish overlapping ranges in the first place (i.e., “species sorting”), as well as with null expectations of trait divergence through time. Few comparative analyses have explicitly modeled these alternatives, and it remains unclear whether trait divergence is a general prerequisite for sympatry or a consequence of interactions between sympatric species. Here, we develop statistical models that allow us to distinguish the signature of these processes based on patterns of trait divergence in closely related lineage pairs. We compare support for each model using a dataset of bill shape differences in 207 pairs of New World terrestrial birds representing 30 avian families. We find that character displacement models are overwhelmingly supported over species sorting and null expectations, indicating that exaggerated bill shape differences in sympatric pairs result from enhanced divergent selection in sympatry. We additionally detect a latitudinal gradient in character displacement, which appears strongest in the tropics. Our analysis implicates costly species interactions as powerful drivers of trait divergence in a major vertebrate fauna. These results help substantiate a long-standing but equivocally supported linchpin of evolutionary theory.

scholarly journals A latitudinal gradient in rates of evolution of avian syllable diversity and song length

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1712) ◽  
pp. 1713-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Weir ◽  
David Wheatcroft
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Rates Of Evolution ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
The Tropics

We ask whether rates of evolution in traits important for reproductive isolation vary across a latitudinal gradient, by quantifying evolutionary rates of two traits important for pre-mating isolation—avian syllable diversity and song length. We analyse over 2500 songs from 116 pairs of closely related New World passerine bird taxa to show that evolutionary rates for the two main groups of passerines—oscines and suboscines—doubled with latitude in both groups for song length. For syllable diversity, oscines (who transmit song culturally) evolved more than 20 times faster at high latitudes than in low latitudes, whereas suboscines (whose songs are innate in most species and who possess very simple song with few syllable types) show no clear latitudinal gradient in rate. Evolutionary rates in oscines and suboscines were similar at tropical latitudes for syllable complexity as well as for song length. These results suggest that evolutionary rates in traits important to reproductive isolation and speciation are influenced by latitude and have been fastest, not in the tropics where species diversity is highest, but towards the poles.

scholarly journals Losses of female song with changes from tropical to temperate breeding in the New World blackbirds

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1664) ◽  
pp. 1971-1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jordan Price ◽  
Scott M. Lanyon ◽  
Kevin E. Omland
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
New World ◽  
Female Song ◽  
Complex Song ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Apparent Relationship ◽  
Song Production ◽  
Selection For ◽  
The Tropics

Birds in which both sexes produce complex songs are thought to be more common in the tropics than in temperate areas, where typically only males sing. Yet the role of phylogeny in this apparent relationship between female song and latitude has never been examined. Here, we reconstruct evolutionary changes in female song and breeding latitude in the New World blackbirds (Icteridae), a family with both temperate and tropical representatives. We provide strong evidence that members of this group have moved repeatedly from tropical to temperate breeding ranges and, furthermore, that these range shifts were associated with losses of female song more often than expected by chance. This historical perspective suggests that male-biased song production in many temperate species is the result not of sexual selection for complex song in males but of selection against such songs in females. Our results provide new insights into the differences we see today between tropical and temperate songbirds, and suggest that the role of sexual selection in the evolution of bird song might not be as simple as we think.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of global avian survival across species and latitude

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micah N. Scholer ◽  
Matt Strimas-Mackey ◽  
Jill E. Jankowski
Keyword(s):  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Tropical Birds ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Improved Model ◽  
Northern And Southern Hemispheres

AbstractTropical birds are purported to be longer lived than temperate species of similar size, but it has not been shown whether avian survival rates covary with a latitudinal gradient worldwide. Here, we perform a global-scale meta-analysis to investigate the extent of the latitudinal survival gradient. We modeled survival as a function of latitude for the separate northern and southern hemispheres, and considered phylogenetic relationships and extrinsic (climate) and intrinsic (life history) predictors hypothesized to moderate these effects. Using a database of 1,004 estimates from 246 studies of avian survival, we demonstrate that in general a latitudinal survival gradient exists in the northern hemisphere, is dampened or absent for southern hemisphere species, and that survival rates of passerine birds largely account for these trends. We found no indication that the extrinsic climate factors were better predictors of survival than latitude alone, but including species’ intrinsic traits improved model predictions. Notably, species with smaller clutch size and larger body mass showed higher survival. Our results illustrate that while some tropical birds may be longer lived than their temperate counterparts, the shape of the latitude-survival gradient differs by geographic region and is strongly influenced by species’ intrinsic traits.

Latitudinal gradient of termite diversity indicates higher diversification and narrower thermal niches in the tropics

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1967-1977
Author(s):  
Felipe Osmari Cerezer ◽  
Renato Almeida Azevedo ◽  
Marcelo André Souza Nascimento ◽  
Elizabeth Franklin ◽  
José Wellington Morais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
The Tropics

Metabolic asymmetry and the global diversity of marine predators

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6425) ◽  
pp. eaat4220 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Grady ◽  
Brian S. Maitner ◽  
Ara S. Winter ◽  
Kristin Kaschner ◽  
Derek P. Tittensor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Marine Predators ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
The Tropics

Species richness of marine mammals and birds is highest in cold, temperate seas—a conspicuous exception to the general latitudinal gradient of decreasing diversity from the tropics to the poles. We compiled a comprehensive dataset for 998 species of sharks, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds to identify and quantify inverse latitudinal gradients in diversity, and derived a theory to explain these patterns. We found that richness, phylogenetic diversity, and abundance of marine predators diverge systematically with thermoregulatory strategy and water temperature, reflecting metabolic differences between endotherms and ectotherms that drive trophic and competitive interactions. Spatial patterns of foraging support theoretical predictions, with total prey consumption by mammals increasing by a factor of 80 from the equator to the poles after controlling for productivity.

scholarly journals Niche-tracking migrants and niche-switching residents: evolution of climatic niches in New World warblers (Parulidae)

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1824) ◽  
pp. 20152458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Gómez ◽  
Elkin A. Tenorio ◽  
Paola Montoya ◽  
Carlos Daniel Cadena
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Migratory Behaviour ◽  
Niche Evolution ◽  
Climatic Niche ◽  
Niche Dynamics ◽  
Patterns And Processes ◽  
The Tropics

Differences in life-history traits between tropical and temperate lineages are often attributed to differences in their climatic niche dynamics. For example, the more frequent appearance of migratory behaviour in temperate-breeding species than in species originally breeding in the tropics is believed to have resulted partly from tropical climatic stability and niche conservatism constraining tropical species from shifting their ranges. However, little is known about the patterns and processes underlying climatic niche evolution in migrant and resident animals. We evaluated the evolution of overlap in climatic niches between seasons and its relationship to migratory behaviour in the Parulidae, a family of New World passerine birds. We used ordination methods to measure seasonal niche overlap and niche breadth of 54 resident and 49 migrant species and used phylogenetic comparative methods to assess patterns of climatic niche evolution. We found that despite travelling thousands of kilometres, migrants tracked climatic conditions across the year to a greater extent than tropical residents. Migrant species had wider niches than resident species, although residents as a group occupied a wider climatic space and niches of migrants and residents overlapped extensively. Neither breeding latitude nor migratory distance explained variation among species in climatic niche overlap between seasons. Our findings support the notion that tropical species have narrower niches than temperate-breeders, but does not necessarily constrain their ability to shift or expand their geographical ranges and become migratory. Overall, the tropics may have been historically less likely to experience the suite of components that generate strong selection pressures for the evolution of migratory behaviour.

scholarly journals Avian migration and the distribution of malaria parasites in New World passerine birds

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1113-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Ricklefs ◽  
Matthew Medeiros ◽  
Vincenzo A. Ellis ◽  
Maria Svensson-Coelho ◽  
John G. Blake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Malaria Parasites ◽  
Avian Migration

Coccidia of New World passerine birds (Aves: Passeriformes): a review of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 and Isospora Schneider, 1881 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae)

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno P. Berto ◽  
Walter Flausino ◽  
Douglas McIntosh ◽  
Walter L. Teixeira-Filho ◽  
Carlos W. G. Lopes
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Passerine Birds

scholarly journals The latitudinal diversity gradient in New World swallowtail butterflies is caused by contrasting patterns of out-of- and into-the-tropics dispersal

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1447-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Owens ◽  
Delano S. Lewis ◽  
Julian R. Dupuis ◽  
Anne-Laure Clamens ◽  
Felix A. H. Sperling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Diversity Gradient ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Swallowtail Butterflies ◽  
The Tropics
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