Patterns And Processes Of Diversification: Speciation And Historical Congruence In Some Neotropical Birds

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137456/1/evo04164.pd

Additional comments on the Bathornithidae, with descriptions of new species

14 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 14)."A new genus and species of bathornithid, Eutreptornis uintae, is described for a tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus from the late Eocene of Utah. Eutreptornis exhibits many morphological features found in both the bathornithids and their presumed ancestors, the Geranoididae of the Eocene of North America. An additional tibiotarsus of Bathornis veredus and a tarsometatarsus of B. geographicus are placed on record. A new species, B. minor, is decribed from the early Miocene of South Dakota. This species was the smallest member of the family and was closely related to B. fricki. Contrary to my earlier assumptions, Paracrax wetmorei probably could fly. Phalacrocorax mediterraneus Shufeldt is a bathornithid, and the type carpometacarpus is referred to Paracrax antiqua"--P. 13

Eocene family Geranoididae and the early history of the Gruiformes

41 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-41)."The present paper reviews the relationships of some fossil gruiform birds from the Eocene of North America. Geranoides jepseni Wetmore is gruiform, but the type tarsometatarsus was distorted during preservation and cannot be used as a basis for phylogenetic inferences. Paragrus prentici (Loomis) is transferred from the Gruidae to the Geranoididae, and a new species P. shufeldti is described. New material of the fossil Palaeophasianus meleagroides Shufeldt establishes a rather close relationship to the geranoidids; the largest member of the family, P. incompletus, is described and tentatively placed in Palaeophasianus. Two new genera are described and allocated to the Geranoididae. The first is Eogeranoides campivagus, which has definite affinities to the Geranoididae. The second, Geranodornis aenigma, has doubtful relationships with the other genera and may represent an independent line of Eocene gruiforms. The Geranoididae are probably derived from a common ancestor with the Eogruidae of the Eocene of eastern Asia. Furthermore, the geranoidids are likely candidates for the ancestors of the Bathornithidae, thus suggesting that the latter family is not actually closely related to the cariamid-phororhacoid line of gruiforms. Another line of gruiforms, which is separable from the geranoidids and bathornithids, apparently includes the Eogruidae, Gruidae, Aramidae, and Psophiidae"--P. 39-40

Biological Sciences for the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainable Development in an Era of Global Change

The symposium was held 10-12 May, 2007 at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C. The 30 talks explored how some of today's key biological research developments (such as biocomplexity and complex systems analysis, bioinformatics and computational biology, the expansion of molecular and genomics research, and the emergence of other comprehensive or system wide analyses, such as proteomics) contribute to sustainability science. The symposium therefore emphasized the challenges facing agriculture, human health, sustainable energy, and the maintenance of ecosystems and their services, so as to provide a focus and a suite of examples of the enormous potential contributions arising from these new developments in the biological sciences. This symposium was the first to provide a venue for exploring how the ongoing advances in the biological sciences together with new approaches for improving knowledge integration and institutional science capacity address key global challenges to sustainability. The speakers presented new research findings, and identified new approaches and needs in biological research that can be expected to have substantial impacts on sustainability science

Biogeography and diversification of Rhegmatorhina (Aves: Thamnophilidae): Implications for the evolution of Amazonian landscapes during the Quaternary

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To test the importance of alternative diversification drivers and biogeographical processes for the evolution of Amazonian upland forest birds through a densely sampled analysis of diversification of the endemic Amazonian genus Rhegmatorhina at multiple taxonomic and temporal scales. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Antbirds (Thamnophilidae). Methods: We sequenced four mtDNA and nuclear gene regions of 120 individuals from 50 localities representing all recognized species and subspecies of the genus. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using both gene tree and species tree methods, molecular dating analysis and estimated population demographic history and gene flow. Results: Dense sampling throughout the distribution of Rhegmatorhina revealed that the main Amazonian rivers delimit the geographic distribution of taxa as inferred from mtDNA lineages. Molecular phylogenetic analyses resulted in a strongly supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus, with two main clades currently separated by the Madeira River. Molecular dating analysis indicated diversification during the Quaternary. Reconstruction of recent demographic history of populations revealed a trend for population expansion in eastern Amazonia and stability in the west. Estimates of gene flow corroborate the possibility that migration after divergence had some influence on the current patterns of diversity. Main Conclusions: Based on broad-scale sampling, a clarification of taxonomic boundaries, and strongly supported phylogenetic relationships, we confirm that, first, mitochondrial lineages within this upland forest Amazonian bird genus agree with spatial patterns known for decades based on phenotypes, and second, that most lineages are geographically delimited by the large Amazonian rivers. The association between past demographic changes related to palaeoclimatic cycles and the historically varying strength and size of rivers as barriers to dispersal may be the path to the answer to the long-standing question of identifying the main drivers of Amazonian diversification