Differentiation processes in treecreepers (Aves: Certhia): phylogeny, vocalisations, morphometrics

Kurzfassung der Dissertation an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Fachbereich Biologie, Institut für Zoologie (2007), betreut durch Prof. Dr. Jochen Martens

Bird sounds as taxonomic characters

Die mit der Fortpflanzung verbundenen Lautäußerungen der Vögel sind meist artspezifisch, so dass sie als taxonomische Merkmale verwendet werden können. Besondere Relevanz kommt ihnen dabei zu, wenn bei Vögeln, die Gesang erlernen können, Artbildungsprozesse beschleunigt ablaufen. Nach dem biologischen Artkonzept sind Arten Fortpflanzungsgemeinschaften. Ob zwei am selben Ort vorkommende Formen Arten sind, lässt sich also unschwer feststellen. Überlappen ihre Verbreitungsgebiete jedoch nicht, kann ein Aufeinandertreffen mit Hilfe von Klangattrappenversuchen simuliert werden. Ansonsten bleibt – auch auf überartlichem Niveau – nur der Vergleich homologer Lautäußerungen: Er kann deskriptiv nach Höreindruck oder auf Grund der Visualisierung (Sonagramm) oder statistisch mit Hilfe verschiedener dem Sonagramm entnommener Parameter erfolgen. Sofern eine (molekulare) Phylogenie der betreffenden Gattung oder Familie vorliegt, sollten die herangezogenen Parameter auf phylogenetisches Signal hin getestet werden, um rein adaptive Merkmale auszuschließen.Bird vocalizations connected to reproduction are mostly species-specific, hence they may be used as taxonomic characters. They have special relevance when in bird species which are able to learn song speciation processes at an accelerated pace. According to the biological species concept, species are populations which are reproductively isolated from other populations. Thus it can easily be decided, if two forms occurring in the same place are species. But if their distributions do not overlap, a contact can be simulated by means of playback experiments. Otherwise homologous vocalizations have to be compared – like on a supra-specific level: Such comparisons may be performed descriptively according to auditory impression, or based on the visualization (sonagram), or statistically on parameters measured from the sonagram. In case a (molecular) phylogeny of the genus or family under investigation is available, the analyzed parameters should be tested for phylogenetic signal to exclude merely adaptive characters

Bird handling techniques and data acquisition in the tropics and subtropics

Der Fang von Vögeln zu wissenschaftlichen Zwecken in den Tropen und Subtropen stellt eine Herausforderung für Ornithologen dar. Probleme aufgrund rechtlicher sowie sozioökonomischer und soziokultureller Rahmenbedingungen lassen sich oft durch eine intensive Vorbereitung und Kooperationen mit lokalen Partnern vermeiden oder reduzieren. Beim eigentlichen Fang sind logistische Herausforderungen wie die Materialbeschaffung vor Ort, aber auch die Ökologie einiger überwiegend tropischer Vogelgruppen zu berücksichtigen. Hier wie auch bei der Probennahme und -lagerung beeinflussen die herrschenden Umweltbedingungen die Arbeit, insbesondere extreme Witterung. Problemlösungenlassen sich jedoch teilweise nur schwer verallgemeinern. Wir unterstreichen die Bedeutung lokaler und regionaler Besonderheiten anhand zahlreicher Beispiele aufgrund eigener Erfahrungen.Capturing birds for scientific purposes in tropical and subtropical areas is particularly challenging. Problems due to general judicial, socio-economic and socio-cultural conditions can often be avoided or reduced by an intensive prearrangement and cooperation with local partners. When actually capturing birds, logistical challenges, differences in predation and the ecology of specific tropical bird groups need to be considered. In this respect and also for sampling and sample storage, environmental conditions, especially extreme weather conditions, are factors to be considered. Troubleshooting and resolving issues related to ornithology in the tropical biomes is not always straightforward. Here we emphasize the importance of local and regional peculiarities by numerous examples based on our own experiences

“Into and out of” the Qinghai‐Tibet plateau and the Himalayas: centers of origin and diversification across five clades of Eurasian montane and alpine passerine birds

Encompassing some of the major hotspots of biodiversity on Earth, large mountain systems have long held the attention of evolutionary biologists. The region of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) is considered a biogeographic source for multiple colonization events into adjacent areas including the northern Palearctic. The faunal exchange between the QTP and adjacent regions could thus represent a one‐way street (“out of” the QTP). However, immigration into the QTP region has so far received only little attention, despite its potential to shape faunal and floral communities of the QTP. In this study, we investigated centers of origin and dispersal routes between the QTP, its forested margins and adjacent regions for five clades of alpine and montane birds of the passerine superfamily Passeroidea. We performed an ancestral area reconstruction using BioGeoBEARS and inferred a time‐calibrated backbone phylogeny for 279 taxa of Passeroidea. The oldest endemic species of the QTP was dated to the early Miocene (ca. 20 Ma). Several additional QTP endemics evolved in the mid to late Miocene (12–7 Ma). The inferred centers of origin and diversification for some of our target clades matched the “out of Tibet hypothesis’ or the “out of Himalayas hypothesis” for others they matched the “into Tibet hypothesis.” Three radiations included multiple independent Pleistocene colonization events to regions as distant as the Western Palearctic and the Nearctic. We conclude that faunal exchange between the QTP and adjacent regions was bidirectional through time, and the QTP region has thus harbored both centers of diversification and centers of immigration

Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

© 2020, The Author(s). Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1–4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363 genomes from 92.4% of bird families—including 267 newly sequenced genomes produced for phase II of the Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species

Impacts of Traffic Infrastructure on Urban Bird Communities: A Review

With increasing urbanization and related loss of biodiversity, it has become increasingly important to understand the determinants of biodiversity in cities, and to learn how we can maintain existing habitats and improve their quality for both wildlife and humans. Detrimental effects of urbanization on animals such as noise and light pollution, have frequently been reported, but comparatively little is known about the connection between different types of traffic infrastructure and their impacts on urban birds. Here, we provide an overview of the existing knowledge about bird responses to traffic-related stressors, and most importantly, we highlight that this aspect has not been satisfactorily investigated in urban environments. Therefore, we suggest suitable study systems and designs with which the effects of traffic infrastructure on bird communities in cities could be studied, and how biodiversity, in tandem with human wellbeing, in cities would benefit from improvements to the existing infrastructures. In doing so, we aim to strengthen the connection between human wellbeing and birds through research that will ultimately facilitate the development of sustainable cities

Impacts of Traffic Infrastructure on Urban Bird Communities: A Review

With increasing urbanization and related loss of biodiversity, it has become increasingly important to understand the determinants of biodiversity in cities, and to learn how we can maintain existing habitats and improve their quality for both wildlife and humans. Detrimental effects of urbanization on animals such as noise and light pollution, have frequently been reported, but comparatively little is known about the connection between different types of traffic infrastructure and their impacts on urban birds. Here, we provide an overview of the existing knowledge about bird responses to traffic-related stressors, and most importantly, we highlight that this aspect has not been satisfactorily investigated in urban environments. Therefore, we suggest suitable study systems and designs with which the effects of traffic infrastructure on bird communities in cities could be studied, and how biodiversity, in tandem with human wellbeing, in cities would benefit from improvements to the existing infrastructures. In doing so, we aim to strengthen the connection between human wellbeing and birds through research that will ultimately facilitate the development of sustainable cities

sonametric data

Data partly collected in the field, partly performed electronically. For abbreviations see Table 1 and 2 in publication

Data from: How weather instead of urbanity measures affects song trait variability in three European passerine bird species

Previous studies detected an influence of urban characteristics on song traits in passerine birds, that is, song adjustments to ambient noise in urban areas. Several studies already described the effect of weather conditions on the behavior of birds, but not the effect on song traits. We investigate, if song trait variability changes along a continuous urbanity gradient in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. We examined, for the first time on a larger scale, the influence of weather on song parameters. We made song recordings of three common passerine species: the blue and great tit (Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Parus major Linnaeus, 1758) and the European blackbird (Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758). We measured different song traits and performed statistical analyses and modeling on a variety of variables—among them urbanity and weather parameters. Remarkably, we found only few cases of a significant influence of urbanity parameters on song traits. The influence of weather parameters (air pressure, atmospheric humidity, air and soil temperatures) on song traits was highly significant. Birds in Frankfurt face high noise pollution and might show different adaptations to high noise levels. The song trait variability of the investigated species is affected more by weather conditions than by urban characteristics in Frankfurt. However, the three species react differently to specific weather parameters. Smaller species seem to be more affected by weather than larger species