Identifier

etd-07032012-182337

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Biological Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

A pervasive goal in evolutionary biology has been to address why some clades are richer in species or phenotypic diversity than others. The Thamnophilidae is a large family of insectivorous passerine birds that provides great opportunities to study variation in species and phenotypic diversity. It comprises ca. 220 species that are mostly restricted to the lowlands and lower montane forests of the Neotropics. Its species are diverse in body size and shape, and the family exhibits high species richness, especially in Amazonian forests, where as many as 40 species may co-occur. Therefore, the fundamental research goal of my dissertation is to understand the relative roles of phylogeny, geography, and ecology in the taxonomic and phenotypic diversification of the antbirds (Thamnophilidae) by integrating the first well-resolved species-level gene-based phylogeny of the family with morphometric, vocal, ecological, and environmental data. A single process neither explains phenotypic diversity nor species diversity in the family, and observed patterns are likely the result of various evolutionary mechanisms acting over time. Temporal patterns of phenotypic diversification in the family are consistent with an important role of adaptive evolution in the Thamnophilidae. Optimal body size values for inhabiting specific habitats and foraging in specific forest strata have accounted for convergent evolution distantly related clades clades. For some specific traits, such as tail, tarsus, and hallux selective pressures have giving rise to distinct morphologies suitable for different environmental conditions that have enabled co-existence and high levels of syntopy at local spatial scales. Species diversity patterns can be explained by the interaction of the effects of time with evolutionary processes that have affected net diversification rates over time. Older lineages tend to exhibit higher species richness and that regions colonized earlier tend to have higher species richness. Furthermore, niche breadth and climatic heterogeneity account for some of the variation that is observed in net diversification rates. Thus, lineages with broader niches tend to speciate less and lineages inhabiting more seasonal and drier environments tend to speciate more.

Date

2012

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Secure the entire work for patent and/or proprietary purposes for a period of one year. Student has submitted appropriate documentation which states: During this period the copyright owner also agrees not to exercise her/his ownership rights, including public use in works, without prior authorization from LSU. At the end of the one year period, either we or LSU may request an automatic extension for one additional year. At the end of the one year secure period (or its extension, if such is requested), the work will be released for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Remsen, Jr., J. V.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.4010

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