USING MORPHOMETRICS TO DETERMINE SEX IN A NEOTROPICAL PASSERINE: THE GRAY‐BREASTED WOOD‐WREN (HENICORHINA LEUCOPHRYS)

Abstract ∙ Sexual size dimorphism is a widespread pattern among birds, but has remained untested for many Neotropical species. Here we examine sexual differences in a relatively common passerine that is found from Mexico to Bolivia, the Gray‐breasted Wood‐Wren (Henicorhina leucophrys), and provide models to determine the sex of individuals using classical morphometric variables. Measuring 137 museum specimens from five of the 17 recognized subspecies, we describe and test patterns of sexual size dimorphism. Differences between males and females in this sexually monochromatic species were assessed through t‐tests and Logistic Regression Analyses (LRA). Males were larger than females in most measurements for all taxa. Additionally, using univariate LRA models we correctly classified 83–93% of the males and 70–93% of the females using wing length for manastarae and meridana, tail length for tamae and bill length for venezuelensis. All our analyses showed adequate significance and goodness of fit, and models were compared according to their classification percentages and AICc values. We highlight that patterns of sexual dimorphism in this species vary geographically, with some subspecies being more dimorphic than others. To the best of our knowledge, this morphometric research represents the first sex determination assessment for a Neotropical passerine while considering geographic variation, and a first step to describe and understand the patterns of phenotypic variation in this wren species. Resumen ∙ La morfometria como herramienta de determinación del sexo en un paseriforme Neotropical: el Cucarachero Selvático (Henicorhina leucophrys) El dimorfismo sexual de tamaño es común en las aves; sin embargo, no ha sido estudiado en un gran número de especies Neotropicales. En este trabajo examinamos las diferencias sexuales en un paseriforme de amplia distribución que se distribuye desde México hasta Bolivia, el Cucarachero Selvático (Henicorhina leucophrys), y proveemos modelos de determinación del sexo a través del uso de variables morfométricas clásicas. Para describir los patrones de dimorfismo sexual se midieron un total de 137 ejemplares de museo pertenecientes a cinco de las 17 subespecies reconocidas. Evaluamos las diferencias entre machos y hembras de esta especie sexualmente monocromática a través de pruebas t y determinamos los patrones de dimorfismo sexual implementando análisis de Regresión Logística. En todos los taxa los machos presentaron valores mayores que las hembras para la mayoría de las variables. Modelos univariados de Regresión Logística clasificaron correctamente entre 83–93% de los machos y 70–93% de las hembras dentro de cada subespecie, usando largo de ala para manastarae y meridana, largo de cola para tamae y largo de pico para venezuelensis. Los modelos mostraron efectos significativos y valores de bondad de ajuste adecuados, y fueron comparados a través de sus porcentajes de clasificación y valores de AICc. Mostramos que en esta especie los patrones de dimorfismo sexual varían geográficamente, siendo algunas subespecies más dimórficas que otras. Hasta donde sabemos, este estudio aborda por primera vez la determinación del sexo a través de variables morfométricas en un paseriforme Neotropical, considerando su variación geográfica, y representa un primer paso en la caracterización y el estudio de los patrones fenotípicos de esta especie

The influence of the complex topography and dynamic history of the montane Neotropics on the evolutionary differentiation of a cloud forest bird (Premnoplex brunnescens, Furnariidae)

Aim: To examine the effect of geographical barriers and habitat dynamics related to climatic oscillations on the phylogeography of a widespread passerine of Neotropical cloud forests, the spotted barbtail (Premnoplex brunnescens). Location: Neotropical humid forests of montane areas in lower Central America and South America. Methods: We sequenced two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear intron from specimens collected across the distribution of P. brunnescens. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using Bayesian and maximum-likelihood methods. Groups with maximum differentiation were estimated with spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA). We estimated timing of differentiation and relationships among groups with a species-tree approach and historical demography with extended Bayesian skyline plots. Results: Six highly differentiated clades of P. brunnescens are distributed in lower Central America, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern Venezuelan mountains, the Northern Andes, central Peru, and southern Peru and Bolivia. Within the Northern Andes clade, six phylogroups were identified associated with different slopes and isolated cordilleras. Most clades occupy opposite sides of low-lying valleys and ridgelines, but little differentiation was observed across several putative barriers. Population divergence occurred in the late Miocene and Pliocene, perhaps in association with Andean uplift. Historical fluctuations in population sizes suggest that populations tracked the spatial dynamics of montane forests associated with glacial cycles. Main conclusions: Extensive genetic differentiation in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA exists among populations of P. brunnescens. Such marked divergence was probably promoted by the rugged topography and dynamic ecological history of the Neotropical mountains. Our study sheds light on mechanisms promoting population differentiation in the montane Neotropics. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Diversification history in the Dendrocincla fuliginosa complex (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae): insights from broad geographic sampling

Dendrocincla woodcreepers are ant-following birds widespread throughout tropical America. Species in the genus are widely distributed and show little phenotypic variation. Notwithstanding, several subspecies have been described, but the validity of some of these taxa and the boundaries among them have been discussed for decades. Recent genetic evidence based on limited sampling has pointed to the paraphyly of D. fuliginosa, showing that its subspecies constitute a complex that also includes D. anabatina and D. turdina. In this study we sequenced nuclear and mitochondrial markers for over two hundred individuals belonging to the D. fuliginosa complex to recover phylogenetic relationships, describe intraspecific genetic diversity and provide historical biogeographic scenarios of diversification. Our results corroborate the paraphyly of D. fuliginosa, with D. turdina and D. anabatina nested within its recognized subspecies. Recovered genetic lineages roughly match the distributions of described subspecies and congruence among phylogenetic structure, phenotypic diagnosis and distribution limits were used to discuss current systematics and taxonomy within the complex, with special attention to Northern South America. Our data suggest the origin of the complex in western Amazonia, associated with the establishment of upland forests in the area during the early Pliocene. Paleoclimatic cycles and river rearrangements during the Pleistocene could have, at different times, both facilitated dispersal across large Amazonian rivers and the Andes and isolated populations, likely playing an important role in differentiation of extant species. Previously described hybridization in the headwaters of the Tapajós river represents a secondary contact of non-sister lineages that cannot be used to test the role of the river as primary source of diversification. Based on comparisons of D. fuliginosa with closely related understory upland forest taxa, we suggest that differential habitat use could influence diversification processes in a historically changing landscape, and should be considered for proposing general mechanisms of diversification.Peer reviewe

Lineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: The neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (aves: furnariidae)

Patterns of diversification in species-rich clades provide insight into the processes that generate biological diversity. We tested different models of lineage and phenotypic diversification in an exceptional continental radiation, the ovenbird family Furnariidae, using the most complete species-level phylogenetic hypothesis produced to date for a major avian clade (97% of 293 species). We found that the Furnariidae exhibit nearly constant rates of lineage accumulation but show evidence of constrained morphological evolution. This pattern of sustained high rates of speciation despite limitations on phenotypic evolution contrasts with the results of most previous studies of evolutionary radiations, which have found a pattern of decelerating diversity-dependent lineage accumulation coupled with decelerating or constrained phenotypic evolution. Our results suggest that lineage accumulation in tropical continental radiations may not be as limited by ecological opportunities as in temperate or island radiations. More studies examining patterns of both lineage and phenotypic diversification are needed to understand the often complex tempo and mode of evolutionary radiations on continents. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution © 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution

The drivers of tropical speciation

© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. Since the recognition that allopatric speciation can be induced by large-scale reconfigurations of the landscape that isolate formerly continuous populations, such as the separation of continents by plate tectonics, the uplift of mountains or the formation of large rivers, landscape change has been viewed as a primary driver of biological diversification. This process is referred to in biogeography as vicariance. In the most species-rich region of the world, the Neotropics, the sundering of populations associated with the Andean uplift is ascribed this principal role in speciation. An alternative model posits that rather than being directly linked to landscape change, allopatric speciation is initiated to a greater extent by dispersal events, with the principal drivers of speciation being organism-specific abilities to persist and disperse in the landscape. Landscape change is not a necessity for speciation in this model. Here we show that spatial and temporal patterns of genetic differentiation in Neotropical birds are highly discordant across lineages and are not reconcilable with a model linking speciation solely to landscape change. Instead, the strongest predictors of speciation are the amount of time a lineage has persisted in the landscape and the ability of birds to move through the landscape matrix. These results, augmented by the observation that most species-level diversity originated after episodes of major Andean uplift in the Neogene period, suggest that dispersal and differentiation on a matrix previously shaped by large-scale landscape events was a major driver of avian speciation in lowland Neotropical rainforests

West Nile Virus, Venezuela

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2020-04-01T17:32:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AnthonyE_Guimaraes_etal_IOC_2007.pdf: 108341 bytes, checksum: db1489aeeb51b9f823abd6e1273378ef (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2020-04-01T17:51:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 AnthonyE_Guimaraes_etal_IOC_2007.pdf: 108341 bytes, checksum: db1489aeeb51b9f823abd6e1273378ef (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2020-04-01T17:51:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnthonyE_Guimaraes_etal_IOC_2007.pdf: 108341 bytes, checksum: db1489aeeb51b9f823abd6e1273378ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007University of Massachusetts Medical School. Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research. Worcester, MA, USA.Universidad de Carabobo Biomed. Maracay, Venezuela.Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela.Coleccion Ornitologica Phelps. Caracas, Venezuela.New York State Department of Health. Albany, New York, USA / State University of New York at Albany. Albany, New York, USA.New York State Department of Health. Albany, New York, USA / State University of New York at Albany. Albany, New York, USA.New York State Department of Health. Albany, New York, USA / State University of New York at Albany. Albany, New York, USA.Universidad Central de Venezuela. Maracay, Venezuela.Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas. Maracay, Venezuela.Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, VenezuelaFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA.Universidad del Zulia. Maracaibo, Venezuela.Universidad de Carabobo Biomed. Maracay, Venezuela.Ministerio de Salud Insalud. Carabobo, Venezuela.Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, VenezuelaUniversidad de Carabobo Biomed. Maracay, Venezuela.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.Harvard School of Public Health. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.New York State Department of Health. Albany, New York, USA / State University of New York at Albany. Albany, New York, USA

Dinámica temporal de las aves playeras en las albuferas del Refugio de Fauna Silvestre Cuare, estado Falcón, Venezuela / Temporal Dynamics of Shorebird in Mudflats at Cuare Wildlife Refuge, Falcon State, Venezuela

Las aves playeras son aves vadeadoras que se alimentan en las orillas de humedales con aguas someras, donde las especies migratorias reponen su energía durante las migraciones. La utilización estacional de los humedales por estas aves es poco conocida en Venezuela, siendo los humedales costeros del estado Falcón uno de los sitios donde llegan estas aves. En este estudio se evaluó la dinámica mensual de la disponibilidad de hábitats y su uso como sitio de parada, de las albuferas de Cuare en el estado Falcón por las aves playeras, durante los años 2007–2008. Se realizaron censos entre julio de 2007 y mayo de 2008 en dos transectas en las albuferas. Para caracterizar el cambio en el nivel de lámina de agua en las albuferas se colocaron postes marcados, permitiendo diferenciar cuatro categorías de profundidad de la lámina de agua. Se encontró que el período de migración de primavera (febrero, marzo, abril y mayo) estuvo asociado con grandes amplitudes de planicies intermareales someras, mientras que durante la migración de otoño (agosto, septiembre, octubre y noviembre) se registraron las mayores profundidades en estas planicies. La mayor abundancia de aves playeras se encontró durante la migración de primavera. Las especies más abundantes fueron Calidris pusilla, C. minutilla y Charadrius semipalmatus. Entre las especies residentes, Himantopus mexicanus fue la más abundante. La dinámica de sequía-inundación en la albufera de Cuare permite su utilización por una gran diversidad especies de aves playeras, con una marcada estacionalidad de las abundancias de distintas especies. Shorebirds are wading birds that forage for food in shallow wetlands, a habitat used by migratory species to acquire the energy to fuel their migration. Shorebirds arrive in large numbers to coastal wetlands of Venezuela but little is known about their seasonal use of these habitats. We examined the temporal variation in habitat availability and use by both resident and migratory shorebirds at lagoons in Cuare, Falcón, a stopover site, during 2007–2008. We surveyed shorebirds along two line transects parallel to shoreline between July 2007 and May 2008. We estimated water depth temporal variation using poles marked at different points to allow differentiation of four categories of water depth. We found that the spring migration period was associated with large amplitudes of shallow tidal flats, whereas fall migration was characterized by greater depths of water. Shorebird abundance was greater during spring migration. The most abundant species were Calidris pusilla, C. minutilla and Charadrius semipalmatus. Himantopus mexicanus was the most common resident species. The drought-flooding dynamics at Cuare lagoon allows its use by a wide variety of shorebird species, characterized by a strong seasonality in the abundance of different species

Filogeografía e historia evolutiva del género \u3cem\u3eEuchrepomis\u3c/em\u3e (Aves: Thamnophilidae) / Phylogeography and Evolutionary History of the Genus \u3cem\u3eEuchrepomis\u3c/em\u3e (Aves: Thamnophilidae)

La Región Neotropical se caracteriza por una alta diversidad biológica, cuyo origen y mantenimiento está asociado no solo a los factores bióticos y abióticos del presente sino a la compleja y dinámica historia geológica y climática de la región. El conocimiento de los patrones de diversidad actuales y los procesos evolutivos subyacentes se ha incrementado gracias a la realización de estudios filogeográficos, particularmente en especies con amplia distribución y/o presencia de poblaciones disyuntas. Euchrepomis (Aves: Thamnophilidae) es un género de hormigueros de amplia distribución considerado como representante de un linaje que divergió a nivel basal en la historia evolutiva de los Thamnophilidae. Actualmente incluye cuatro especies: E. callinota, E. sharpei, E. humeralis y E. spodioptila. De ellas, E. callinota habita bosques montanos en Centro América y los Andes, con una población disyunta en las Guayanas, E. sharpei está restringida a bosques montanos de los Andes de Perú y Bolivia, mientras que las otras dos especies habitan bosques húmedos en la Amazonía. Con la intención de entender la historia evolutiva del género, realizamos un estudio de filogeografía molecular utilizando dos genes mitocondriales (ND2, Cytb) y un intrón nuclear (Fib5), y un muestreo geográfico y taxonómico representativo del género incluyendo ocho de las nueve subespecies reconocidas. Corroboramos la monofilia de Euchrepomis y revelamos complejos patrones de no monofilia dentro de sus especies. Nuestros resultados indican consistentemente que las poblaciones de las Guayanas (E. callinota guianensis) son hermanas del resto del género, que las poblaciones montanas desde Panamá hasta Bolivia (E. callinota, E. sharpei) conforman un grupo monofilético, mientras que las poblaciones de tierras bajas (E. humeralis y E. spodioptila) se dividen en dos clados mixtos (con individuos de ambas especies en cada uno de ellos), uno al Norte y otro al Sur del río Amazonas. El origen de Euchrepomis fue datado para el Mioceno Medio y su diversificación estimada para el Plio-Pleistoceno. En conjunto, las dinámicas de los ríos de la Amazonía, los ciclos climáticos del Pleistoceno y la extinción, podrían haber moldeado la historia de este género de hormigueros: Euchrepomis. The Neotropical Region is characterized by a high biological diversity, with an origin and maintenance associated not only to current biotic and abiotic conditions but also to the complex and dynamic geologic and climatic history of the region. Our knowledge of current biodiversity patterns and their underlying evolutionary processes has improved with the increased availability of phylogeographic data, particularly in species with wide or disjunct distributions. Euchrepomis (Aves: Thamnophilidae) is a widespread genus of antbirds considered as a basal divergence within the Thamnophilidae. It currently includes four species: E. callinota, E. sharpei, E. humeralis and E. spodioptila. Of them, E. callinota inhabits montane forests of Central America and the Andes, with a disjunct population in the Guianas, E. sharpei is restricted to the montane forests of the Andes in Perú and Bolivia, and the other two species, E. humeralis and E. spodioptila, inhabit lowland Amazonian forests. Aiming to unravel the genus evolutionary history, we studied the phylogeography of this lineage using two mitochondrial genes (ND2, Cyt-b) and a nuclear intron (Fib5), with a comprehensive taxonomic and geographic sampling including eight of nine recognized subspecies. We corroborated the monophyly of Euchrepomis and revealed complex patterns of non-monophyly in its species. Our results consistently show that the Guianan population (E. callinota guianensis) is sister to the rest of the genus, that the montane populations from Panamá to Bolivia (E. callinota, E. sharpei) form a monophyletic group, and that the lowland populations (E. humeralis, E. spodioptila) group in two clades, found north and south of the Amazon River, with representatives of both species in each. The origin of Euchrepomis was estimated to be around the Middle Miocene, and its diversification during the Plio-Pleistocene. Altogether, river dynamics in the Amazon basin, Pleistocene climatic cycles, and extinction, could have impacted the history of this antwren genus: Euchrepomis

Variación geográfica, genética y morfológica del Cucarachero Selvático \u3cem\u3eHenicorhina leucophrys\u3c/em\u3e (Aves: Troglodytidae) en Venezuela / Geographic Variation in Mitochondrial and Phenotypical Characters of the Gray-Breasted Wood-Wren \u3cem\u3eHenicorhina leucophrys\u3c/em\u3e (Aves: Troglodytidae) from Venezuela

El análisis de la variación geográfica de una especie permite determinar el grado de diferenciación entre poblaciones y formular hipótesis sobre su historia evolutiva. El Cucarachero Selvático Henicorhina leucophrys (Aves: Troglodytidae) cuenta con cinco subespecies que se distribuyen en las montañas del norte de Venezuela. Estas subespecies han sido descritas con base en diferencias sutiles de plumaje, cuya variación individual no ha sido evaluada a fondo. En el presente trabajo se caracterizaron los patrones de diferenciación molecular, morfométrico y de plumaje de las poblaciones de H. leucophrys en Venezuela y se contrastaron con la taxonomía actual. En los análisis filogeográficos, basados en ADN mitocondrial (ATP-sintasa 6 y 8), se determinaron siete linajes con una diferenciación genética considerable entre ellos (6–9%), así como patrones de no monofilia para las subespecies H. l. tamae, H. l. meridana y H. l. venezuelensis. Aunque los patrones morfológicos se caracterizaron por una gran variabilidad individual, se encontraron diferencias desconocidas en largos de cola, tarso y pico. Adicionalmente, con el uso de fotografía digital se realizaron análisis colorimétricos, encontrándose diferencias de color en la región ventral y en el patrón de estrías de la garganta entre poblaciones del norte del país (Serranía de Perijá, Cordillera de la Costa) y poblaciones andinas (Tamá, Cordillera de Mérida). Los patrones fenotípicos encontrados no permiten diagnosticar las poblaciones venezolanas de H. leucophrys a nivel subespecífico. Sin embargo, debido al uso de múltiples caracteres este trabajo representa un aporte clave para la sistemática de la especie y el estudio de su diversificación críptica en Venezuela. The study of geographic variation enables to assess the degree of differentiation between populations and generate hypotheses about their evolutionary history. The Gray-breasted WoodWren Henicorhina leucophrys (Aves: Troglodytidae) has five subspecies that can be found along mountain ranges of northern Venezuela. These taxa have been described based on subtle plumage differences but individual variation within them has not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study we aimed to characterize geographic variation patterns on molecular and classical morphological characters. Our phylogeographic analysis, using two mitochondrial genes (ATPase 6 & 8), showed seven lineages with considerable amount of genetic divergence between them (6-9%), suggesting that at least the subspecies H. l. tamae, H. l. meridana and H. l. venezuelensis are non-monophyletic. Although individual variation was considerable, we revealed unknown significant differences in tail, tarsus and bill lengths. Additionally, using colorimetric analysis with digital photography, we found differences in ventral color and the proportion of streaks of the throat between northern (Serranía de Perijá, Cordillera de la Costa) and Andean populations (Tamá, Cordillera de Mérida). These phenotypical differences are not congruent with current taxonomy, which make diagnosis difficult between Venezuelan subspecies. Nevertheless, our multiple character approach represents a key contribution to the species systematics and the understanding of its cryptic differentiation in Venezuela