Dating the diversification of the major lineages of Passeriformes (Aves).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The avian Order Passeriformes is an enormously species-rich group, which comprises almost 60% of all living bird species. This diverse order is believed to have originated before the break-up of Gondwana in the late Cretaceous. However, previous molecular dating studies have relied heavily on the geological split between New Zealand and Antarctica, assumed to have occurred 85-82 Mya, for calibrating the molecular clock and might thus be circular in their argument.

Results

This study provides a time-scale for the evolution of the major clades of passerines using seven nuclear markers, five taxonomically well-determined passerine fossils, and an updated interpretation of the New Zealand split from Antarctica 85-52 Mya in a Bayesian relaxed-clock approach. We also as

SUBMITTER: Ericson PG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3917694 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature