Morphological diversity and altitudinal differentiation of Aethopyga species.

ABSTRACT: The morphological characteristics of birds are an important tool for studying their adaptation and evolution. The morphological evolution of a clade is not only constrained by the phylogenetic relationship, but also influenced by ecological factors and interspecific competition. Aethopyga is a group of small nectar-eating birds with obvious sexual dimorphism. They have slender and decurved beaks, which reflect their unique diet and foraging mode. Traditional and geometric morphometrics were combined to characterize the body morphology and beak shape of six species of Aethopyga distributed in China. We aim to assess the roles of phylogeny, altitude, and species interactions to morphological evolution. The main distinguishing characteristic among these six species were overall

SUBMITTER: Lu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10468329 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature