Journal article
Molecular phylogenetics of the bee-eaters (Aves: Meropidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, v 45(1), pp 23-32
2007
PMID: 17716922
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Abstract
The bee-eaters (family Meropidae) comprise a group of brightly colored, but morphologically homogeneous, birds with a wide variety of life history characteristics. A phylogeny of bee-eaters was reconstructed using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data from 23 of the 25 named bee-eater species. Analysis of the combined data set provided a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the family.
Nyctiornis is the sister taxon to all other bee-eaters. Within the genus
Merops, we recovered two well-supported clades that can be broadly separated into two groups along geographic and ecological lines, one clade with mostly African resident species and the other clade containing a mixture of African and Asian taxa that are mostly migratory species. The clade containing resident African species can be further split into two groups along ecological lines by habitat preference into lowland forest specialists and montane forest and forest edge species. Intraspecific sampling in several of the taxa revealed moderate to high (3.7–6.5%, ND2) levels of divergence in the resident taxa, whereas the lone migratory taxon showed negligible levels of intraspecific divergence. This robust molecular phylogeny provides the phylogenetic framework for future comparative tests of hypotheses about the evolution of plumage patterns, sociality, migration, and delayed breeding strategies.
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Details
- Title
- Molecular phylogenetics of the bee-eaters (Aves: Meropidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data
- Creators
- Ben D. Marks - Houston Museum of Natural ScienceJason D. Weckstein - Field Museum of Natural HistoryRobert G. Moyle - American Museum of Natural History
- Publication Details
- Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, v 45(1), pp 23-32
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000250253200003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-34548512498
- Other Identifier
- 991019350577804721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics & Heredity