Coevolution is linked with phenotypic diversification but not speciation in avian brood parasites.

ABSTRACT: Coevolution is often invoked as an engine of biological diversity. Avian brood parasites and their hosts provide one of the best-known examples of coevolution. Brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other species, selecting for host defences and reciprocal counteradaptations in parasites. In theory, this arms race should promote increased rates of speciation and phenotypic evolution. Here, we use recently developed methods to test whether the three largest avian brood parasitic lineages show changes in rates of phenotypic diversity and speciation relative to non-parasitic lineages. Our results challenge the accepted paradigm, and show that there is little consistent evidence that lineages of brood parasites have higher speciation or extinction rates than non-parasitic species. Howe

SUBMITTER: Medina I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4707755 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature