Morphological and molecular evidence of population divergence in a widespread shorebird across its southern mainland Australian distribution

Weston, Michael A.; Clarke, Kylea E.; Maguire, Grainne S.; Sumner, Joanna

doi:10.1007/s10592-020-01286-2

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…However, we found evidence for clear patterns of role specialization in relation to diel patterns. Although there are no substatial colour, ornamentation or size differences between sexes (Weston et al 2020), males had a propensity for more nocturnal incubation, incubating 59% and 43% of the time during the night and day, respectively; however, patterns were highly varied between pairs and days, and incubation is probably flexible. Being sexually monochromatic, patterns in male incubation are unlikely to be driven by adult detectability, as suggested for other species (Yasu e & Dearden 2008, Ekanayake et al 2015.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…We examine here whether the hypothesis that monogamous, sexually monomorphic species divide incubation equally through both the day and night holds true for the biparental incubator, the Hooded Dotterel Thinornis cucullatus. Endemic to southern Australia, the Hooded Dotterel is a sexually monochromatic and monomorphic species with no observed substantial variation in size between the sexes (Weston et al 2020). With nesting habitats, generally beach dunes, experiencing temperate climates but extreme fluctuations in substrate temperatures, both males and females must contribute significantly to incubation, with nest attendance uniformly high (68.4-98.6% of daylight time) across the incubation period (Weston & Elgar 2005); nothing is currently known about nocturnal incubation.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Day–night cycle influences the division of incubation in the Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis cucullatus)

Ryeland

Magrath

Weston

2021

Ibis

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In species with biparental care, diel patterns in male and female incubation arise due to the differential costs and benefits of incubation. This pattern should be less obvious or absent in species where both sexes stand to benefit significantly from investing in incubation (i.e. in monogamous species with high paternity certainty), in temperate climates and in sexually monomorphic species where sexes probably experience similar physiological costs and risks of detection by predators. Despite no obvious size or colour differences between male and female Hooded Dotterel Thinornis cucullatus, males incubated significantly more at night (59% of the time), and less during the day (43% of the time). We show that despite Hooded Dotterel being sexually monomorphic, long‐lived with probably high paternity certainty, incubation is not shared equitably, with a bias towards male nocturnal incubation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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confidence: 99%

Day–night cycle influences the division of incubation in the Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis cucullatus)

Ryeland

Magrath

Weston

2021

Ibis

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“…Indeed, of our climate and spatial correlation analyses, longitude was found to be the variable of best fit to skull size. There are several examples of east-west variation in other Australian taxa, such as the Hooded Plover, (Weston et al 2020); however, in many cases genetic studies have determined this variation to represent multiple species, with the Nullarbor Plain acting as a driver of speciation (Rix et al 2015). Evidence of east-west vicariance has been observed in many taxa, including phascogales (Spencer et al 2001), pygmy perch (Buckley et al 2018), aquatic beetles (Hawlitschek et al 2011), and eucalypts (Ladiges et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological variation in skull shape and size across extinct and extant populations of the greater stick-nest rat (

et al. 2022

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Within-species morphological variation is often observed across spatial and climatic gradients. Understanding this variation is important to conservation planning, as specialised adaptations may influence a population’s persistence following translocation. However, knowing whether local adaptations are prevalent within a species can be challenging when the species has undergone range contractions. Here, we used museum specimens to study size and shape variation of the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor). We aimed to determine whether intraspecific size and shape variation previously existed within the species across its historical range, and inform on possible implications for translocations of the remaining extant population. We found significantly larger skull size in the Franklin Islands and arid populations, possibly indicating a historically continuous population experiencing similar selection pressures such as high predation pressure, competition with other large arid zone rodents or climatic extremes. Conversely, skull shape variation within the species adheres to an allometric trajectory, indicating no specific local adaptations of skull shape. This absence of local skull shape adaptation suggests that the Franklin Islands population is likely suitable for mainland translocations. However, further research into the historical phylogeography of the species is recommended to identify whether large size resulted from shared ancestry or convergent evolution.

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“…Similarly, the avifauna of southern Australia is characterized by an east–west division at the Nullarbor (Cracraft, 1986). Numerous avian species like the musk duck ( Biziura lobata ), chestnut teal ( Anas castanea ), hooded plover ( Charadrius cucullatus ), scarlet robin ( Petroica boodang ), blue‐breasted fairywren ( Malurus pulcherrimus ), and several Melithreptus honeyeaters display morphological and/or genetic divergence on either side of this vast limestone‐based plain, suggesting subspecific differentiation (Dhami et al, 2013; Dolman & Joseph, 2012; Guay et al, 2010; Toon et al, 2007, 2010; Weston et al, 2020). Many of them have ranges that stop well to the east and west of the Nullarbor Plain because of the fringing xeric habitats that enhance the barrier effect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turnover of bird species along the Nullarbor Plain: Insights from taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity

García‐Navas,

Martínez‐Núñez,

Christidis

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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The Nullarbor Plain constitutes one of the main biogeographic barriers of Australia, and it has been suggested to have played a key role in the disjunct distribution of numerous southern Australian species. Although previous research has shown that the origin of this barrier coincides with the timing of the speciation events in some plant lineages, it is not clear whether the uplift of this barrier promoted divergence events in vertebrates. We addressed the role of the Nullarbor barrier and its fringing semiarid habitats as drivers of beta diversity in bird assemblages. Specifically, we determined the effect of distance from the Nullarbor barrier, environmental conditions, and isolation by distance on the composition of local communities on both sides of the plain. We measured beta diversity using taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional metrics of composition. The influence of precipitation, geographic distance, and distance to the Nullarbor barrier on these metrics was addressed using generalized dissimilarity models and a moving‐window approach. We also tested for differences in local extinction, dispersal and speciation rates, and lineage diversity between two regions, southeastern (SE) and southwestern (SW) Australia. Geological and orogenetic dynamics linked to the appearance of the Nullarbor Plain may have spurred speciation events in SE. However, evidence suggests that subsequent periods in which this region was wetter and forested favored dispersal, mainly from SE to SW. Accordingly, observed dissimilarity in species composition was lower than expected at random, suggesting the existence of considerable turnover between regions. Our results suggest that precipitation deficit (and the xeric vegetation that it promotes) was the most important predictor of beta diversity, whereas the distance to the barrier explained some variation in terms of phylogenetic composition. This study shows that the uplift of the Nullarbor barrier played a minor role in shaping present‐day bird diversity in southern Australia. Recent speciation events coupled with historical connectivity can explain the observed patterns.

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Morphological and molecular evidence of population divergence in a widespread shorebird across its southern mainland Australian distribution

Cited by 10 publications

References 52 publications

Day–night cycle influences the division of incubation in the Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis cucullatus)

Day–night cycle influences the division of incubation in the Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis cucullatus)

Morphological variation in skull shape and size across extinct and extant populations of the greater stick-nest rat (

Turnover of bird species along the Nullarbor Plain: Insights from taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity

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