Chapter 10 - Phylogeny in Studies of Bird Ecology, Behavior, and Morphology

Abstract

The chapter explores three fundamental issues: phylogenetic accuracy, adaptation, and phylogenetic constraint. These issues are central to historical ecology and cover a broad range of subjects in the field. The most important step to successful historical ecology is the collection of appropriate, accurate, ecological, and phylogenetic data. Although obvious, this assertion is remarkably underemphasized in ecophylogenetic studies. Emphasis is placed primarily on the quality of ecological data, which are viewed as dependent variables, instead of on the accuracy of phylogeny, which is generally viewed as an independent variable without error. However, phylogenetic estimates have error distributions, but these are commonly ignored because they are too complicated to quantify. Historical ecology is burgeoning because it provides structure to the study of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. Emphasis on the use of accurate phylogenetic data is crucial because the interpretation of evolutionary patterns obviously changes as relationships among taxa change. Although progress may be limited without knowledge of the quantitative genetics of specific traits, initial hypothesis testing is possible with prudent use of the phylogenetic approach, provided that multiple examples of potential evolutionary phenomena are examined.