Contrasting drivers of diversification rates on islands and continents across three passerine families.

ABSTRACT: Diversification rates vary greatly among taxa. Understanding how species-specific traits influence speciation rates will help elucidate mechanisms driving biodiversity over broad spatio-temporal scales. Ecological specialization and range size are two hypothesized drivers of speciation rates, yet each mechanism predicts both increases and decreases in speciation. We constructed a continuous index of specialization using avian bill morphology to determine the relative effect of specialization and range size and shape on speciation rates across 559 species within the Emberizoidea superfamily, a morphologically diverse New World clade. We found a significant positive correlation between specialization and speciation rate and a negative correlation with range size. Only the effect of specializ

SUBMITTER: Conway M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6892041 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature