DNA barcode libraries provide insight into continental patterns of avian diversification.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The causes for the higher biodiversity in the Neotropics as compared to the Nearctic and the factors promoting species diversification in each region have been much debated. The refuge hypothesis posits that high tropical diversity reflects high speciation rates during the Pleistocene, but this conclusion has been challenged. The present study investigates this matter by examining continental patterns of avian diversification through the analysis of large-scale DNA barcode libraries.

Methodology and principal findings

Standardized COI datasets from the avifaunas of Argentina, the Nearctic, and the Palearctic were analyzed. Average genetic distances between closest congeners and sister species were higher in Argentina than in North America reflecting a much higher

SUBMITTER: Lijtmaer DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3144888 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature