Major global radiation of corvoid birds originated in the proto-Papuan archipelago.

ABSTRACT: A central paradigm in island biogeography has been the unidirectional "downstream" colonization of islands from continents (source to sink) based on the idea that less-diverse island communities are easier to invade than biologically more-diverse continental communities. Recently, several cases of "upstream" colonization (from islands to continents) have been documented, challenging the traditional view. However, all these cases have involved individual island species that have colonized mainland regions. Here, using molecular phylogenetic data, divergence time estimates, lineage diversity distributions, and ancestral area analyses, we reconstruct the spread of a species-rich (>700 species) passerine bird radiation (core Corvoidea) from its late Eocene/Oligocene origin in the emerging prot

SUBMITTER: Jonsson KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3038755 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature