Molecular Phylogeny and Evolutionary History of the Tit-Tyrants (Aves: Tyrannidae)

Integrating Phylogenetics and Environmental Niche Models to Explore Speciation Mechanisms in Dendrobatid Frogs

“…Likewise, comparisons of geographic ranges in relation to phylogeny have tended to support allopatric speciation rather than divergence-with-gene-flow models in both birds and mammals (Patton and Smith 1992;Arctander and Fjeldsa 1994;Roy et al 1999), though environmental ranges of sister taxa have not been analyzed. Although evidence suggests that allopatry may be an important speciation mode for these Andean birds and mammals, frogs generally have lower gene flow than birds and mammals and, therefore, are more likely to diverge across a given environmental gradient.…”

Molecular phylogeny and plumage signal evolution in a trans Andean and circum Amazonian avian species complex

“…The general timing of the Phaeothlypis radiation is relevant to the many competing hypotheses about the causes of avian speciation in South America and to the growing body of evidence suggesting that clades of South American birds exhibit a variety of temporal patterns of diversification (e.g.. Bates et al, 1999;Chesser, 2000;García-Moreno and Fjeldsa, 2000;García-Moreno et al, 2001;Hackett, 1993;Lovette and Bermingham, 2001;Roy et al, 1999). However, few molecular clock calibrations are available for birds, including only a single robust calibration for passerines (Fleischer et al, 1998), which was based on cytochrome b divergence in Hawaiian honeycreepers and on the emergence dates of the larger islands in the Hawaiian archipelago.…”

Towards a phylogenetic framework for the evolution of shakes, rattles, and rolls in Myiarchus tyrant-flycatchers (Aves: Passeriformes: Tyrannidae)

“…Systematic research has traditionally focussed on higher-level relationships within the assemblage and has been based on internal and external anatomy (e.g., Lanyon, 1984Lanyon, , 1985Lanyon, , 1986Traylor, 1977) with contributions from DNA hybridization (McKitrick, 1985;Sibley and Ahlquist, 1985). More recently, DNA sequencing has made it feasible to examine relationships among species in some of the larger, morphologically homogeneous genera (Chesser, 2000;Roy et al, 1999). The systematics and biogeography of one such genus, Myiarchus Cabanis, 1844, is the focus of the present paper.…”