Systematics and evolution of the Pan‐Alcidae (Aves, Charadriiformes)

Abstract

Puffins, auks and their allies in the wing-propelled diving seabird clade Pan-Alcidae (Charadriiformes) have been proposed to be key pelagic indicators of faunal shifts in Northern Hemisphere oceans. However, most previous phylogenetic analyses of the clade have focused only on the 23 extant alcid species. Here we undertake a combined phylogenetic analysis of all previously published molecular sequence data (∼ 12 kb) and morphological data (n  353 characters) with dense species level sampling that also includes 28 extinct taxa. We present a new estimate of the patterns of diversification in the clade based on divergence time estimates that include a previously vetted set of twelve fossil calibrations. The resultant time trees are also used in the evaluation of previously hypothesized paleoclimatic drivers of pan-alcid evolution. Our divergence dating results estimate the split of Alcidae from its sister taxon Stercorariidae during the late Eocene (∼ 35 Ma), an evolutionary hypothesis for clade origination that agrees with the fossil record and that does not require the inference of extensive ghost lineages. The extant dovekie Alle alle is identified as the sole extant member of a clade including four extinct Miocene species. Furthermore, whereas an Uria  Alle clade has been previously recovered from molecular analyses, the extinct diversity of closely related Miocepphus species yields morphological support for this clade. Our results suggest that extant alcid diversity is a function of Miocene diversification and differential extinction at the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. The relative timing of the Middle Miocene climatic optimum and the Pliocene-Pleistocene climatic transition and major diversification and extinction events in Pan-Alcidae, respectively, are consistent with a potential link between major paleoclimatic events and pan-alcid cladogenesis.

Speciation in seabirds: why are there so many species…and why aren’t there more?

“…For example, four species of auklets (Aethia spp. ), which appear to have (1992,1996) J Ornithol arisen from a common ancestor within a very short time interval (Humphries and Winker 2010;Smith and Clark 2014), coexist within the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea areas, often breeding in the same colonies. Thus, ocean regime alone does not explain speciation in seabirds.…”

The mitochondrial genome of pin-tailed snipe Gallinago stenura, and its implications for the phylogeny of Charadriiformes

“…Because of the diversity in their ecology, morphology, behavior, distribution and other adaptive characters, Charadriiformes provide potential insight into evolutionary forces acting on life-history traits [1–4]. Because of convergent evolution, the use of morphological and biochemical methods to reconstruct Charadriiformes phylogeny is unresolved and poorly supported [5, 6].…”

“…Although some studies have used a few mitochondrial and/or nuclear genes in reconstructing family-level phylogeny within Charadriiformes [4, 8, 11–13, 30], mitochondrial genome sequences and structures have proven to be useful for elucidation of evolutionary relationships, and the comprehensive study of the entire mitogenomes within Charadriiformes are still not well studied. Despite recent rapid increases in the available information on bird mitogenomes, only 19 complete mitogenomes sequences have been reported in database of Charadriiformes (Table 1).…”

Full Issue

“…The present analyses revealed an association in Charadriiformes between relatively large eyes and a relatively large sternum and long humerus. In Charadiiformes, a relatively large sternum and long humerus are likely to have been associated with increased reliance on flight in foragingand, in Alcidae, also with wing-propelled diving (Smith and Clarke 2014). The present results show that a relatively large cranium, relatively long humerus, and relatively large sternum are also associated with SO.…”