Macroevolutionary bursts and constraints generate a rainbow in a clade of tropical birds.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Bird plumage exhibits a diversity of colors that serve functional roles ranging from signaling to camouflage and thermoregulation. However, birds must maintain a balance between evolving colorful signals to attract mates, minimizing conspicuousness to predators, and optimizing adaptation to climate conditions. Examining plumage color macroevolution provides a framework for understanding this dynamic interplay over phylogenetic scales. Plumage evolution due to a single overarching process, such as selection, may generate the same macroevolutionary pattern of color variation across all body regions. In contrast, independent processes may partition plumage and produce region-specific patterns. To test these alternative scenarios, we collected color data from museum specimens of an

SUBMITTER: Merwin JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7041239 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature