INVESTIGADORES
KOPUCHIAN Cecilia
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Avian evolutionary history in the southern Neotropics: complex and varied patterns of diversification
Autor/es:
LIJTMAER, DARÍO A.; KOPUCHIAN, CECILIA; BARREIRA, ANA SOLEDAD; BENITES, MARÍA DEL PILAR; KERR, KEVIN C.R.; NAOKI, KAZUYA; GÓMEZ, ISABEL; TUBARO, PABLO L.
Reunión:
Congreso; Evolution 2014; 2014
Resumen:
Even though the study of the evolutionary history of the Neotropics has
dramatically increased in the last few years, most work has been done in the
Amazonian basin, the Atlantic forest and the northern part of the Andes
mountains. By contrast, the southern cone of South America has barely been
studied in this regard. This region is particularly interesting because of its
high latitude, the occurrence of a diverse array of environments (including the
highest peaks of the Andes mountains and the southernmost part of the Yungas
and Atlantic Forest regions) and the presence of areas with some of the highest
rates of avian diversification worldwide. We used citochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences
(DNA barcodes) from 3,425 specimens belonging to 730 species of Argentinean and
Bolivian birds to analyze the patterns of diversification in this region and
assess the role of various diversifying factors. Comparison with birds of the
Nearctic and lower latitudes of the Neotropics evidenced that diversification
patterns in southern South America are complex, consistent with the influence
of glacial cycles as well as other factors more typical of the Neotropical
realm. Comparisons among different areas of southern South America showed that species
endemic to Patagonia and the Andes mountains are younger and less variable than
more widely distributed species, and even more so than the northern, more
tropical species. This pattern is consistent with a more prominent role of
glacial cycles in the Andes and Patagonia and a more stable environment in the
northern areas of this region. Finally, seven percent of the species showed
high intraspecific variation, usually including deeply divergent lineages. The
study of these cases with various algorithms permitted an initial assessment of
the presence of evolutionary independent lineages. Further analyses including
other molecular markers, morphology and vocalizations will indicate whether these
taxa include overlooked species, allowing a better understanding of avian
diversity in this region.