John M. Bates

High levels of mitochondrial DNA differentiation in two lineages of antbirds (Drymophila and Hypocnemis)

We assessed levels of genetic differentiation based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (portions of the cytochrome-b and ND2 genes) at several taxonomic levels in thamnophilid antbirds. Our focus was to investigate genetic differentiation among populations of two species in the genus Drymophila and to identify the sister genus to Drymophila. In addition, we present evidence of high levels of population subdivision in Hypocnemis cantator (Warbling Antbird). This widespread Amazonian taxon co-occurs, on a local scale, with D. devillei (Striated Antbird). Sequence divergences among populations of D. devillei and D. caudata (Long-tailed Antbird), two bamboo-specialists, often exceeded 2% between populations. Divergences within H. cantator, a species with more generalized habitat requirements and a more continuous distribution, were even higher, including 5.7% divergence between samples separated by 350 km of apparently continuous Amazonian forest. At higher taxonomic levels, genetic distances suggest that antbird genera and biological species are old. Genetic divergence between the two species that comprise the genus Hypocnemis was 9.3%, and divergence between D. devillei and D. caudata averaged 7.2%. Weighted parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses supported Hypocnemis as the sister taxon to Drymophila; the genus Myrmotherula was not monophyletic, supporting previous allozyme analyses. In addition to the protein-coding sequences, we found that spacer regions between genes also provided phylogenetically informative characters from the level of suboscine families to within the biological species that we studied. Received 31 March 1998, accepted 7 April 1999.

Comment on "The Latitudinal Gradient in Recent Speciation and Extinction Rates of Birds and Mammals"

Weir and Schluter (Reports, 16 March 2007, p. 1574) used variation in the age distribution of sister species to estimate that recent rates of speciation decline toward the tropics. However, this conclusion may be undermined by taxonomic biases, sampling artifacts, and the sister-species method, all of which tend to underestimate diversification rates at low latitudes.

Temporal and spatial diversification of Pteroglossus araçaris (AVES: Ramphastidae) in the neotropics: Constant rate of diversification does not support an increase in radiation during the Pleistocene

We use the small-bodied toucan genus Pteroglossus to test hypotheses about diversification in the lowland Neotropics. We sequenced three mitochondrial genes and one nuclear intron from all Pteroglossus species and used these data to reconstruct phylogenetic trees based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses. These phylogenetic trees were used to make inferences regarding both the pattern and timing of diversification for the group. We used the uplift of the Talamanca highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama as a geologic calibration for estimating divergence times on the Pteroglossus tree and compared these results with a standard molecular clock calibration. Then, we used likelihood methods to model the rate of diversification. Based on our analyses, the onset of the Pteroglossus radiation predates the Pleistocene, which has been predicted to have played a pivotal role in diversification in the Amazon rainforest biota. We found a constant rate of diversification in Pteroglossus evolutionary history, and thus no support that events during the Pleistocene caused an increase in diversification. We compare our data to other avian phylogenies to better understand major biogeographic events in the Neotropics. These comparisons support recurring forest connections between the Amazonian and Atlantic forests, and the splitting of cis/trans Andean species after the final uplift of the Andes. At the subspecies level, there is evidence for reciprocal monophyly and groups are often separated by major rivers, demonstrating the important role of rivers in causing or maintaining divergence. Because some of the results presented here conflict with current taxonomy of Pteroglossus, new taxonomic arrangements are suggested.

PHYLOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF GROUND ROLLERS (BRACHYPTERACIIDAE) OF MADAGASCAR

Abstract We studied relationships of five extant members of the endemic Malagasy family Brachypteraciidae, the ground rollers, using several mitochondrial genes (cytochrome-b, NADH dehydrogenase 2, 12S ribosomal RNA, and cytochrome oxidase I). As outgroups, we used other coraciiforms including the Cuckoo Roller (Family Leptosomatidae, Leptosomus discolor), several true rollers (Corcaciidae) and a tody (Todidae). Partial sequences of the Long-tailed Ground Roller (Uratelornis chimaera) were obtained from toe pad samples taken off museum specimens. For a combined data set of all genes, Kimura two-parameter distances between sequences of the five ground roller species were high, averaging 11% divergence. For several species, samples were available from widely separated geographic regions and intraspecific sequence divergence was low (≤0.8%). Unweighted and weighted parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses consistently recovered monophyly of the family, a sister relationship between Brachypteraciidae and Coraciidae, and monophyly of one of three currently recognized ground roller genera (Atelornis). At the base of the Brachypteraciidae clade, we could not fully resolve relationships between Uratelornis and two species currently placed in Brachypteracias. Because of the uncertainty of basal nodes in our phylogenetic reconstructions, we recommend returning B. squamigera to the monotypic genus Geobiastes. High levels of divergence among ground rollers are similar to levels found in other avian groups endemic to Madagascar. However, we suggest that molecular divergences appear far too low to be consistent with mid-Eocene fossils attributed to the family.

Parasite Prevalence Corresponds to Host Life History in a Diverse Assemblage of Afrotropical Birds and Haemosporidian Parasites

Avian host life history traits have been hypothesized to predict rates of infection by haemosporidian parasites. Using molecular techniques, we tested this hypothesis for parasites from three haemosporidian genera (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon) collected from a diverse sampling of birds in northern Malawi. We found that host life history traits were significantly associated with parasitism rates by all three parasite genera. Nest type and nest location predicted infection probability for all three parasite genera, whereas flocking behavior is an important predictor of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infection and habitat is an important predictor of Leucocytozoon infection. Parasite prevalence was 79.1% across all individuals sampled, higher than that reported for comparable studies from any other region of the world. Parasite diversity was also exceptionally high, with 248 parasite cytochrome b lineages identified from 152 host species. A large proportion of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon parasite DNA sequences identified in this study represent new, previously undocumented lineages (n = 201; 81% of total identified) based on BLAST queries against the avian malaria database, MalAvi.

AVIAN HEMATOZOA FROM WEST-CENTRAL BOLIVIA

A total of 641 birds representing 135 species of 25 families from Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in west-central Bolivia was examined for hematozoa; only 33 (5.1%) harbored blood parasites. Microfilariae were the most commonly encountered hematozoans, followed, in numerical sequence, by species of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium; Trypanosoma, Atoxoplasma, and Hepatozoon were seen infrequently. The survey included 13 new host-parasite records, and 58 species of birds were examined for blood parasites for the first time; 43 were parasite-free. The low prevalence of parasitism recorded in this survey is compared to other areas in the Neotropical region and to prevalence of blood parasites in the avifauna of other major land masses.

Comparative phylogenetic histories of two louse genera found on Catharus thrushes and other birds.

Abstract The louse genera Brueelia (Ischnocera) and Myrsidea (Amblycera) are broadly codistributed on songbirds (Passeriformes), but differ in a variety of life history characteristics. We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to assess levels of genetic divergence and reconstruct phylogenies of these 2 genera, focusing especially on Catharus thrushes in North America. We then qualitatively compared the phylogenies and levels of divergence within these 2 genera of codistributed parasites. Neither Brueelia nor Myrsidea appears to cospeciate with Catharus thrushes or passerine birds in general. The Myrsidea phylogeny exhibits significant levels of biogeographic structure, whereas the Brueelia phylogeny does not. Myrsidea and Brueelia also differ in their levels of intra-generic genetic divergence, with Myrsidea showing higher levels of genetic divergence and host specificity than Brueelia. Our genetic data support traditional morphology-based taxonomy in several instances in which the same species of Brueelia has been reported on multiple host taxa, e.g., all migrant Catharus spp. carry B. antiqua, with little haplotype divergence. Myrsidea found on each Catharus sp. are in general genetically distinct, except for M. incerta, which parasitizes both Catharus ustulatus and Catharus minimus. The strong biogeographic signal in the Myrsidea phylogeny and higher relative levels of host specificity of Myrsidea spp. suggest that infrequent host-switching, followed by speciation, is shaping the evolutionary history of this group. In contrast, the relatively lower host specificity of Brueelia spp. suggests that host-switching, combined with more frequent ongoing dispersal, has been more important in the evolutionary history of Brueelia.

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS OF THE TODY-TYRANT AND FLATBILL ASSEMBLAGE OF TYRANT FLYCATCHERS (TYRANNIDAE)

Abstract The tody-tyrant and flatbill assemblage, sensu Lanyon (1988a), includes 12 genera of tyrant flycatchers known variously as “tody-tyrants” and “flatbills.” Lanyon supported the monophyly of the group based on similar skull morphology and nest form, and built intergeneric relationships based on syringeal characters. However, these comparisons were made without a phylogenetic framework. A more recent study assessing relationships in the tyrant flycatchers using published morphological and behavioral data failed to recover monophyly of this assemblage (Birdsley 2002). Using DNA sequence data, we test for the monophyly of the tody-tyrant and flatbill assemblage and compare and contrast phylogenetic signals from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA character systems. We discuss our results in light of results from previous studies. We include representatives of the other major tyrant flycatcher assemblages for a total of 42 individuals (representing 27 tyrannid genera and 36 species). We sequenced 3,022 base pairs (bp) of three mitochondrial genes (ND2, ND3, and cytochrome b) and one nuclear intron (FIB5). Our results resolve many of the basal relationships of the tody-tyrant and flatbill phylogeny, but separate and combined analyses of data partitions are necessary to understand the nature of conflict among data sets. The tody-tyrants constitute a monophyletic clade, but the genera Hemitriccus and Lophotriccus are not monophyletic, and the limits of Oncostoma-Lophotriccus need to be revised with more complete sampling at the species level. The flatbills as defined by Lanyon are not monophyletic (Onychorhynchus and Platyrinchus are not true flatbills). Pseudotriccus and Corythopis are sister taxa and, together with Leptopogon and Mionectes, are allied to the tody-tyrant and flatbill clade. Filogenia Molecular del Grupo de los Picochatos y Mosquiteros de la Familia Tyrannidae

Initial Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Ten Bird Species of South American Cerrado

We compared mitochondrial DNA sequences of portions of the cytochrome b (cyt b) and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) genes from samples of ten bird species that occur in both extremes of the Cerrado region (eastern Bolivia and Amapá, Brazil). The species include a wide sampling of taxa from several avian families: Tinamidae (1), Apodidae (1), Dendrocolaptidae (1), Furnariidae (1), Thamnophilidae (1), Tyrannidae (1), Turdidae (1), and Emberizidae (3). The taxa also exhibit a variety of distribution patterns in Neotropical open lands. Levels of genetic divergence within all taxa were low compared to comparable intraspecific values in many other widespread birds. In particular, these data suggest that there is much less genetic differentiation within these Cerrado birds than exists in birds of neighboring Amazonian forest. We suggest this implies the non-mutually exclusive possibilities that these open country birds have maintained higher levels of gene flow than forest understory birds, and that the Cerrado may have expanded to parts of its present-day distribution fairly rapidly. These data also suggest that hypothesized forest connections between Amazonia and Atlantic forest did not isolate open country bird populations from one another to a great extent.

The Importance, Effects, and Ethics of Bird Collecting

— 690 — The Auk, Vol. 127, Number 3, pages 690−695. ISSN 0004-8038, electronic ISSN 1938-4254.  2010 by The American Ornithologists’ Union. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals. com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/auk.2010.09199 Kevin WinKer,1,8 J. Michael reed,2 Patricia escalante,3 robert a. asKins,4 carla cicero,5 Gerald e. houGh,6 and John bates7