On the historical biogeography of global Galliformes: ancestral range and diversification patterns

Youhua Chen

doi:10.1186/s40657-014-0003-9

Abstract

In this study, the ancestral distributional ranges and the tempo of diversification patterns of global Galliformes were investigated. Different diversification models characterizing possible tempo patterns were fitted and compared onto the phylogenetic tree for the 197 Galliforme species, consisting of a constant-speciation and constant-extinction model (CONSTANT), a decreasing-speciation and constant-extinction model (SPVAR), a constant-speciation and increasing-extinction model (EXVAR) and a decreasing-speciation and increasing-extinction model (BOTHVAR). Ancestral range reconstruction was conducted using the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model. A constant-diversification-rate (CONSTANT) model best quantified the historical speciation patterns of this avian assemblage through model selection. Clade age and species richness are significantly and positively correlated. The most recent common ancestor for Galliformes species was originally found in the disjunctive regions between Southeast Asia and North America. High-frequency dispersal events were identified across the whole evolutionary time. The constant diversification rate for global Galliforme species implied that there were no diversification rate-shifting trends for Galliformes species. The present study may contribute to the understanding of the ecology and diversity patterns of Galliformes from the perspective of historical biogeography, although some limitations existed.

Highlights

In this study, the ancestral distributional ranges and the tempo of diversification patterns of global Galliformes were investigated
Macro-evolutionary patterns of this large-size and attractive-appearance bird assemblage might be initiated by utilizing the available phylogenetic affinity information of the 197 species (Hugall and Stuart-Fox, 2012)
Because BBI and Lagrange share some levels of similarity, ancestral ranges estimated by Lagrange are the focus in the subsequent biogoegraphic discussion (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

The ancestral distributional ranges and the tempo of diversification patterns of global Galliformes were investigated. Galliformes are ground-living birds, an order consisting of around 280 species worldwide (Chen, 2014). This group of birds is found to have around 23 species listed as endangered and 6 as critically endangered in the IUCN red list (The World Conservation Union 2010). Current phylogenetic information is still limited and does not cover the systematics and affinities of all 280 Galliformes, a recent investigation has established a phylogeny of Galliformes for up to 197 species (Hugall and Stuart-Fox, 2012), accounting for over 70% of global Galliformes. Macro-evolutionary patterns of this large-size and attractive-appearance bird assemblage might be initiated by utilizing the available phylogenetic affinity information of the 197 species (Hugall and Stuart-Fox, 2012). Several macro-evolutionary attributes relevant to the phylogeny and diversity of Galliformes are considered

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion