A multilocus molecular phylogeny for the avian genus Liocichla (Passeriformes: Leiothrichidae: Liocichla)

Abstract

Background: Historically the babblers have been assigned to the family Timaliidae but several recent studies have attempted to rest the taxonomy of this diverse passerine assemblage on a more firm evolutionary footing. The result has been a major rearrangement of the group. A well-supported and comprehensive phylogeny for this widespread avian group is an important part of testing evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses, especially in Asia where the babblers are a key component of many forest ecosystems. However, the genus Liocichla is poorly represented in these prior studies of babbler systematics. Methods:We used a multilocus molecular genetic approach to generate a phylogenetic hypothesis for all five currently recognized species in the avian genus Liocichla. Multilocus DNA sequence data was used to construct individual gene trees using maximum likelihood and species trees were estimated from gene trees using Bayesian analyses. Divergence dates were obtained using a molecular clock approach. Conclusions:This study supports an origin of the Liocichla occurring sometime prior to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, a period of significant climatic upheaval in Asia. The biogeographical patterns within the Liocichla mirror those of other birds in the region and allude to common geological and climatic drivers of avian diversification in Asia.

Geographical and temporal origins of terrestrial vertebrates endemic to Taiwan

“…Therefore, we advocate for the first explanation of Hawlitschek et al. () that the divergence events of extant species occurred before their colonization into Taiwan, and extinctions within the ancestral taxa resulted in relict populations in Taiwan (Mays et al., ; Wang et al., ). This reconciliation does not necessarily oppose the time window of colonization events occurring from c .…”

“…Although recent phylogeographical studies have noted that several endemic Taiwanese taxa originated from the Eastern Himalayas rather than nearby South China, either at the species level (Mays et al, 2015;Päckert et al, 2012) or the population level (Tietze, Päckert, Martens, Lehmann, & Sun, 2013;Wang et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2011), few of these studies considered it a common pattern (Päckert et al, 2012). One possible reason is that Quaternary glaciations not only formed a land bridge but also prompted the dispersal of montane species from the Eastern Himalayas to lowland South China and Taiwan (Tietze et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2011).…”

“…In addition, although in situ speciation events of terrestrial Taiwanese vertebrates have been reported (Lai & Lue, 2008;Li et al, 2011;Tseng, Li, Hsieh, Wang, & Lin, 2014;Tseng, Wang, Li, & Lin, 2015), few of these events pre-date the early Pliocene (c. 5 Ma; but see Li et al, 2011 for Hynobius spp.). Therefore, we advocate for the first explanation of Hawlitschek et al (2017) that the divergence events of extant species occurred before their colonization into Taiwan, and extinctions within the ancestral taxa resulted in relict populations in Taiwan (Mays et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2013). This reconciliation does not necessarily oppose the time window of colonization events occurring from c. 5 Ma onwards.…”

“…Mammuthus trogontherii and Equus spp., Kawamura, Chang, & Kawamura, ). In addition, some studies noticed that several Taiwanese species originated from distant regions, such as Indochina (Chen, Chang, et al., ; Jiang, Wang, Peng, Peng, & Zou, ) and the Eastern Himalayas (Mays et al., ), which was facilitated by either an exposed continental shelf of the South China Sea or a suitable dispersal corridor from South China during the glacial periods. Furthermore, several lineages were believed to colonize from Japan via a 1,200‐km‐long stepping stone island chain—the Ryukyu Islands (Li et al., ).…”

Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy

“…Martens, Tietze, and Päckert () found an older basal divergence for the Leiothrichidae, in the early Miocene, using a molecular clock based solely on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, an approach that might explain this difference. Mays et al () obtained mid‐Miocene estimates for the divergence between Leiothrix and Liocichla (and ca. 9 mya for the basal split within Liocichla ), thus suggesting an older origin for the whole Leiothrichidae family, but their results were probably biased by their limited taxon sampling.…”