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Avian gene trees, landscape evolution, and geology: towards a modern synthesis of Amazonian historical biogeography?

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Abstract

Recent studies have improved our understanding of Amazonian geological history during the late Tertiary and Quaternary, two periods regarded as critical for the recent diversification of the Amazonian avifauna. The notion that geologically older and more stable areas of Amazonia (such as the Brazilian and Guianan shields) functioned as “species-pumps”, whereas geologically more dynamic areas (such as the western Amazonian lowlands) mostly “captured” part of the diversity generated nearby, was supported by a recent phylogeographic study focusing on a species complex of the genus Xiphorhynchus (Dendrocolaptidae). Here, we review several additional molecular datasets to assess whether this historical scenario can be extended to other lineages of Amazonian birds as well. The datasets reviewed indicated that most lineages of upland forest species found nowadays in western Amazonia are associated with more basal lineages from the Brazilian shield, Guianan shield, and the Andes, indicating a more recent history in this geologically dynamic region. Conversely, lineages associated with seasonally flooded forests seem to have an ancient history in western Amazonia, apparently expanding over the geologically more stable areas only recently. Most sister taxa of the lineages reviewed exhibited levels of pairwise sequence divergence consistent with splitting events dating back to a time frame stretching from the late Miocene to the early Pleistocene, a period when significant physiographic and landscape changes took place in Amazonia. When interpreted together, all the studies reviewed provide evidence that geology and landscape evolution are tightly linked with the timing and mode of differentiation of Amazonian birds.

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Acknowledgments

A. Aleixo attended the 24th International Ornithological Congress (IOC) in Hamburg thanks to funds granted by CNPq (The National Research Council of Brazil, grant no. 45.2485/2006-1) and the 24th IOC committee; his studies in Brazil are partially funded by the a joint CNPq/SECTAM research grant (no. 35.0415/2004-8). He also thanks J. Bates, C. Miyaki, C. Ribas, and J. Tello for insightful and stimulating discussions on the data and patterns discussed here. D. Rossetti thanks FAPESP (project no. 004/15518-6) for financial support that has contributed to part of the research presented here; she also holds a scholarship from CNPq. We thank two anonymous referees for insightful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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  1. Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, Belém, Brazil

    Alexandre Aleixo

  2. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, INPE, São José dos Campos, Brazil

    Dilce de Fátima Rossetti

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  1. Alexandre Aleixo
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  2. Dilce de Fátima Rossetti
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Correspondence to Alexandre Aleixo.

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Communicated by C. Rahbeck.

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Aleixo, A., Rossetti, D.d. Avian gene trees, landscape evolution, and geology: towards a modern synthesis of Amazonian historical biogeography?. J Ornithol 148 (Suppl 2), 443–453 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0168-7

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