How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach
Five species of migratory thrushes (Turdidae) occupy a transcontinental distribution across northern North America. They have largely overlapping breeding ranges, relatively similar ecological niches, and mutualistic relationships with northern woodland communities as insectivores and seed-dispersin...
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PeerJ Inc.
2013-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/206.pdf |
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| author | Carrie M. Topp Christin L. Pruett Kevin G. McCracken Kevin Winker |
| author_facet | Carrie M. Topp Christin L. Pruett Kevin G. McCracken Kevin Winker |
| author_sort | Carrie M. Topp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Five species of migratory thrushes (Turdidae) occupy a transcontinental distribution across northern North America. They have largely overlapping breeding ranges, relatively similar ecological niches, and mutualistic relationships with northern woodland communities as insectivores and seed-dispersing frugivores. As an assemblage of ecologically similar species, and given other vertebrate studies, we predicted a shared pattern of genetic divergence among these species between their eastern and western populations, and also that the timing of the coalescent events might be similar and coincident with historical glacial events. To determine how these five lineages effectively established transcontinental distributions, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences to assess genetic structure and lineage coalescence from populations on each side of the continent. Two general patterns occur. Hermit and Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus guttatus and C. ustulatus) have relatively deep divergences between eastern and western phylogroups, probably reflecting shared historic vicariance. The Veery (C. fuscescens), Gray-cheeked Thrush (C. minimus), and American Robin (Turdus migratorius) have relatively shallow divergences between eastern and western populations. However, coalescent and approximate Bayesian computational analyses indicated that among all species as many as five transcontinental divergence events occurred. Divergence within both Hermit and Swainson’s thrushes resembled the divergence between Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Veeries and probably occurred during a similar time period. Despite these species’ ecological similarities, the assemblage exhibits heterogeneity at the species level in how they came to occupy transcontinental northern North America but two general continental patterns at an among-species organizational level, likely related to lineage age. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:43:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5f472a046c74dde8be994a7d4fc6937 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:43:39Z |
| publishDate | 2013-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b5f472a046c74dde8be994a7d4fc69372023-12-03T10:42:55ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592013-11-011e20610.7717/peerj.206206How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approachCarrie M. Topp0Christin L. Pruett1Kevin G. McCracken2Kevin Winker3University of Alaska Museum and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USAFlorida Institute of Technology, Department of Biological Sciences, Melbourne, FL, USAUniversity of Alaska Museum and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USAUniversity of Alaska Museum and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USAFive species of migratory thrushes (Turdidae) occupy a transcontinental distribution across northern North America. They have largely overlapping breeding ranges, relatively similar ecological niches, and mutualistic relationships with northern woodland communities as insectivores and seed-dispersing frugivores. As an assemblage of ecologically similar species, and given other vertebrate studies, we predicted a shared pattern of genetic divergence among these species between their eastern and western populations, and also that the timing of the coalescent events might be similar and coincident with historical glacial events. To determine how these five lineages effectively established transcontinental distributions, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences to assess genetic structure and lineage coalescence from populations on each side of the continent. Two general patterns occur. Hermit and Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus guttatus and C. ustulatus) have relatively deep divergences between eastern and western phylogroups, probably reflecting shared historic vicariance. The Veery (C. fuscescens), Gray-cheeked Thrush (C. minimus), and American Robin (Turdus migratorius) have relatively shallow divergences between eastern and western populations. However, coalescent and approximate Bayesian computational analyses indicated that among all species as many as five transcontinental divergence events occurred. Divergence within both Hermit and Swainson’s thrushes resembled the divergence between Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Veeries and probably occurred during a similar time period. Despite these species’ ecological similarities, the assemblage exhibits heterogeneity at the species level in how they came to occupy transcontinental northern North America but two general continental patterns at an among-species organizational level, likely related to lineage age.https://peerj.com/articles/206.pdfCommunity assemblyEcological evolutionary geneticsEcologyPhylogeographyPopulation geneticsCommunity phylogeography |
| spellingShingle | Carrie M. Topp Christin L. Pruett Kevin G. McCracken Kevin Winker How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach PeerJ Community assembly Ecological evolutionary genetics Ecology Phylogeography Population genetics Community phylogeography |
| title | How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach |
| title_full | How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach |
| title_fullStr | How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach |
| title_short | How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: a comparative phylogeography approach |
| title_sort | how migratory thrushes conquered northern north america a comparative phylogeography approach |
| topic | Community assembly Ecological evolutionary genetics Ecology Phylogeography Population genetics Community phylogeography |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/206.pdf |
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