Ecological and evolutionary determinants for the adaptive radiation of the Madagascan vangas.

ABSTRACT: Adaptive radiation is the rapid diversification of a single lineage into many species that inhabit a variety of environments or use a variety of resources and differ in traits required to exploit these. Why some lineages undergo adaptive radiation is not well-understood, but filling unoccupied ecological space appears to be a common feature. We construct a complete, dated, species-level phylogeny of the endemic Vangidae of Madagascar. This passerine bird radiation represents a classic, but poorly known, avian adaptive radiation. Our results reveal an initial rapid increase in evolutionary lineages and diversification in morphospace after colonizing Madagascar in the late Oligocene some 25 Mya. A subsequent key innovation involving unique bill morphology was associated with a second increas

SUBMITTER: Jonsson KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3340096 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature