Honeyeater Research Articles

Phylogenetic analyses to uncover the evolutionary relationship of a newly sequenced mitochondrial genome from an Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

The Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris), a passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae (honeyeaters), a dominant group of birds in Australia and New Guinea. The aim of this study was to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of the Eastern spinebill and use its sequence to better define the phylogeny of this species. The complete mitogenome sequence of A. tenuirostris was circular and 16,614 bp in length, and its architecture was conserved in comparison to other mitogenome sequences under the family Meliphagidae. The Eastern spinebill mitogenome had the highest sequence identity with mitogenome sequences of two other honeyeaters, the white eared honeyeater, Nesoptilotis leucotis, (84.9%) and the white-plumed honeyeater, Ptilotula penicillata (85.5%). The maximum-likelihood topology distinctly discriminated the Eastern spinebill sequence against all other species of the Meliphagidae with significant bootstrap supports. We suggest the widespread sampling and complete mitogenome sequencing would be valuable in establishing the most accurate phylogenetic taxonomy of the family Meliphagidae.

413. Notes on the vocalizations of Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis)

413. Notes on the vocalizations of Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis)

414. Notes on the vocalizations of White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger)

414. Notes on the vocalizations of White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger)

153. Notes on the vocalizations of White-lined Honeyeater (Meliphaga albilineata) and Kimberley Honeyeater (Meliphaga fordiana)

153. Notes on the vocalizations of White-lined Honeyeater (Meliphaga albilineata) and Kimberley Honeyeater (Meliphaga fordiana)

150. Notes on the vocalizations of White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus)

150. Notes on the vocalizations of White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus)

Analysis of factors that influence energy expenditure in honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)

ABSTRACTThe energy expenditure of the tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), a meliphagid endemic to New Zealand, was measured and compared with 20 species of honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae) to determine whether its expenditure is influenced either by life in a moist, temperate climate or an island residence. Body mass in the honeyeaters accounted for 91.5% of the variation in basal rate. The combination of body mass, climate and the maximal limit to an altitudinal distribution explained 98.6% of the variation in basal rate with tropical, low-altitude species having the highest mass-independent rate. The basal rates of meliphagids in tropical highlands are similar to those in temperate lowlands, which may reflect similar food supplies. The tūī mass-independent expenditure appears to reflect an active lifestyle in a temperate climate with no evidence that an island residence influenced its rate, whereas sedentary birds on New Zealand have responded to island life with a depressed basal rate. An effective analysis of the variation in energy expenditure requires the inclusion of the ecological and behavioural characteristics that distinguish species.

Two new mite species of the subfamily Harpirhynchinae Dubinin, 1957 (Acariformes: Harpirhynchidae), parasites of the passerine birds (Aves: Passeriformes) in Australia and South Asia.

Two new mite species of the subfamily Harpirhynchinae Dubinin, 1957 (Acariformes: Harpirhynchidae) are described from passerine birds (Aves: Passeriformes): Harpirhynchoides artamus n. sp. from Artamus fuscus Vieillot (Artamidae) from an unknown locality in South Asia and Neharpyrhynchus domrowi n. sp. from three host species of the family Meliphagidae, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris (Latham) (type-host) from Australia (New South Walles), Ptiloprora perstriata (De Vis) and Myzomela rosenbergii Schlegel from Papua New Guinea.

Molecular and morphological characterization of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) ptilotis, a parasite infecting Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), with remarks on prevalence and potential cryptic speciation.

Avian Haemoproteus (Haemosporida) parasites occur in birds on all continents apart from Antarctica. Molecular screening techniques have uncovered previously unforeseen levels of Haemoproteus lineage diversity; however, fewer than 20% of genetic parasite lineages have been linked to morphological descriptions. The process of linking morphological descriptions to DNA barcodes for Haemoproteus spp. is important for the study of host-parasite interactions and the potential for cryptic speciation. Here, we describe cytochrome-b barcodes and morphological diagnostics for the identification of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) ptilotis, a systematically confusing parasite found in Australian honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae). We characterised infections from the original type host (Lichenostomus chrysops; Family Meliphagidae) as well as from four co-occurring meliphagid species in southeast Queensland, Australia, to investigate intraspecific variation in morphology and lineage identity. We recorded eight lineages that grouped into a well-supported monophyletic group, supporting the linkage of the described lineages to H. ptilotis. However, comparisons of diagnostics between the type host and co-occurring meliphagid hosts revealed high genetic diversity and variable morphology that could be indicative of cryptic speciation. This study highlights that morphological descriptions alongside molecular characterisation remain crucial if we are to gain an understanding of the true diversity and host specificity of protozoan parasites in Australia and elsewhere.

The colorful language of Australian flowers

The enormous increase in phylogenetic information in recent years has allowed many old questions to be reexamined from a macroevolutionary perspective. We have recently considered evolutionary convergence in floral colors within pollination syndromes, using bird-pollinated species in Australia. We combined quantitative measurements of floral reflectance spectra, models of avian color vision, and a phylogenetic tree of 234 Australian species to show that bird-pollinated flowers as a group do not have colors that are significantly different from the colors of insect-pollinated flowers. However, about half the bird-pollinated flowers have convergently evolved a narrow range of colors with dominant long-wavelength reflection far more often than would be expected by chance. These convergent colors would be seen as distinctly different from other floral colors in our sample when viewed by honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae), birds with a phylogenetically ancestral type of color vision and the dominant avian pollinators in Australia. Our analysis shows how qualitative ideas in natural history, like the concept of pollination syndromes, can be given more precise definition and rigorous statistical testing that takes into account phylogenetic information.

A new synthesis of the molecular systematics and biogeography of honeyeaters (Passeriformes: Meliphagidae) highlights biogeographical and ecological complexity of a spectacular avian radiation

The passerine family Meliphagidae (the honeyeaters) comprises 175–180 species in 40–50 genera. It is an iconic element of the Australo‐Papuan avifauna and also occurs in Indonesia and on remote Pacific Ocean islands. Building on previous molecular studies that have pioneered a renewed understanding of the family's circumscription and systematics, we present an updated phylogenetic and systematics synthesis of honeyeaters derived from 112 mostly Australian, New Guinean and Wallacean species‐ and subspecies‐rank taxa aligned across 9246 positions spanning four mitochondrial and four nuclear genes. We affirm many of the recent changes advocated to the group's genus‐level systematics and offer some further refinements. The group's radiation appears to coincide broadly with the aridification of Australia in the Miocene, consistent with the time of origin of diversification of extant lineages in several other groups of Australian organisms. Most importantly, the complexity of the biogeography underlying the group's spectacular radiation, especially within Australia, is now apparent. Foremost among such examples is the robust evidence indicating that multiple, independent lineages of honeyeaters, including several monotypic genera, are endemic to the Australian arid zone, presumably having diverged and evolved within it. Also apparent and warranting further study are the phenotypic diversity among close relatives and the remarkably disjunct distributions within some clades, perhaps implying extinction of geographically intermediate lineages. Given such complexity, understanding the evolution of this radiation, which has thus far been intractable, relies on integration of molecular data with morphology, ecology and behaviour.

Tennessee sharecropper and: Honey Eater

Tennessee sharecropper and: Honey Eater Gregory Powell (bio) tennessee sharecropper for clara williams she measures wealth not in silver dollarsanchoring her black patent-leather purse& her family in a sharecropper’s house.She’d handed out more than she’d received. her mule’s shoe, walked as thinas her thumbnail, was no reason to faint.besides, her mother had never taught her to faintbut raised her on the bread of Hope instead. therefore, she never taught her daughtersto faint, even if hard work & broken promisesrode their shoulders into the concrete dirt.hard times & twisted tongues could bend one’s back into an eternal horseshoe,framing an otherwise empty sky. Honey Eater for June Williams Had grandfather swallowed a cherry pit? As it had been rumored & relayed as reliable factBy cherry gazers who’d stood next to him. His skin, a month later (to the very minute Of his pit swallowing), had deepened red. Ruddy. As if he’d stripped to skin & washedIn sun; until he’d stood, sun stroked & bronzed before his wife. Asked her for a butter biscuit. She’d always given him her last. Am I heir (not to rumor/not to excess) but tohis swallowings: pit or gristle? Rind & fat? Fin or scale? To become what we eat; gobbling a green Persimmon would not only lock my jaws butWould sharpen my objective eye; to find value & truth in my dipstick ethic. What if I swallow Regret— the whole of it? not just the gristle; not just the pit;not just the bone; all six (6) leaden letters; spoonful of honey to sweeten the swallowing. [End Page 755] Gregory Powell Gregory Powell earned an MFA in poetry from the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, an M.Div. from Regent School of Divinity; and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He works as a labor and employment law attorney and is an associate pastor of education at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Copyright © 2014 Gregory Powell

Despotic, high‐impact species and the subcontinental scale control of avian assemblage structure

Some species have disproportionate influence on assemblage structure, given their numbers or biomass. Most examples of such "strong interactors" come from small-scale experiments or from observations of the effects of invasive species. There is evidence that entire avian assemblages in open woodlands can be influenced strongly by individual species over very large areas in eastern Australia, with small-bodied species (< 50 g) being adversely affected. We used data from repeated surveys in 371 sites in seven districts across a region from Victoria to Queensland (> 2000 km). A series of linked Bayesian models was used to identify large-bodied (> or = 50 g) bird species that were associated with changes in occurrence and abundance of small-bodied species. One native species, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala; family Meliphagidae), was objectively identified as the sole large-bodied species having similar detrimental effects in all districts, depressing occurrence of 57 of 71 small-bodied species. Adverse effects on abundances of small-bodied species were profound when the Noisy Miner occurred with mean site abundances > or = 1.6 birds/2 ha. The Noisy Miner may be the first species to have been shown to influence whole-of-avifauna assemblage structure through despotic aggressiveness over subcontinental scales. These substantial shifts in occurrence rates and abundances of small-bodied species flow on to alter species abundance distributions of entire assemblages over much of eastern Australia.

Habitat preferences of the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) – a propensity for prime real estate?

AbstractThis study investigated habitat characteristics that have been postulated to influence the occurrence of noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala Family Meliphagidae). It builds on an earlier study that identified corners along remnant edges as important predictors of the presence of noisy miners in large blocks of remnant vegetation (&gt;300 ha). Six habitat characteristics were recorded at 39 corner sites within the box‐ironbark region of Victoria. We failed to detect any significant effect of the density of understorey vegetation on the likelihood of noisy miners occupying a site, but this might have been an artefact of prolonged drought conditions. The most powerful predictors of the presence of noisy miners at remnant corners were found to be soil type and the proportion of canopy trees at a site that were yellow gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon), with noisy miners being associated with deeper, more fertile soils and higher proportions of yellow gums present. As yellow gum is a prolific and reliable nectar producer, the inherent productivity of a site might be more important in determining the attractiveness of a site to noisy miners than structural attributes like the presence or absence of an understorey. Noisy miners are sedentary colonial birds that occupy year‐round territories, often at high densities. Sites capable of supporting such high density occupation year‐round might be limited to the most productive sites within the landscape. This productivity hypothesis has potentially profound implications for other woodland avifauna, as noisy miners might be excluding other woodland birds from some of the most fertile components of the landscape; components that are already rare in the box‐ironbark region due preferential clearing for agriculture at the time of settlement.

Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters (Passeriformes, Meliphagidae)

We analyzed nucleotide variation at four loci for 75 species to produce a phylogenetic hypothesis for the Meliphagidae, and to examine the evolution and biogeographic history of the Meliphagidae. Both maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods of phylogenetic analysis were employed. The family was found to be monophyletic, though the genera Certhionyx, Anthochaera, and Phylidonyris were not. Four major clades were recovered and the spinebills ( Acanthorhynchus) formed the sister clade to the remainder of the family in most analyses. The Australian endemic arid-adapted chats ( Epthianura, Ashbyia) were found to be nested deeply within the family Meliphagidae. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis of separate New Guinean and Australian endemic radiations, nor of a close phylogenetic relationship between taxa from the New Guinea highlands and those from Australian northern rainforests.

The Nutritional, Morphologic, and Physiologic Bases of Nectarivory in Australian Birds

Abstract Nectarivorous birds are those that rely predominantly on the products of flowering trees and shrubs for food. Australian avian nectarivores include honeyeaters of the family Meliphagidae and lorikeets and swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) of the family Psittacidae. Nectar is a sugar-rich, liquid food source that provides abundant amounts of energy for birds that are able to harvest it. However, it contains very low levels of amino acids, vitamins, and trace minerals necessary for avian maintenance, growth, and reproduction. Therefore, birds classified as nectarivores need to forage for other food resources. Manna, honeydew, and lerp are common food sources for a variety of honeyeaters and nectarivorous parrots; these foods are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, similar to nectar. Pollen protoplasm is composed of highly digestible protein and contains a diverse amino acid profile; however, only 3 Australian species of psittacine birds have been recorded engaging in active pollen harvesting....

Phylogenetic Relationships of Micronesian White-Eyes Based on Mitochondrial Sequence Data

AbstractUsing mitochondrial sequence data, we estimated phylogenetic relationships and genetic divergence among selected species of white-eyes (Zosteropidae). We focused on taxa endemic to islands in Micronesia, specifically Zosterops conspicillatus, Z. semperi, Z. hypolais, Rukia oleaginea, and Cleptornis marchei. We also included in our data set five additional species of Zosterops from the Indo-Australian region and three species from Africa, as well as additional passerine outgroups. Our mitochondrial sequence data revealed substantial genetic divergence (5.7 to 7.3%) among Z. conspicillatus, Z. semperi, and Z. hypolais, three taxa that formerly were treated as a single species. In addition, a sequence divergence of 6.5 ± SE of 1.7% was found between the population of Z. conspicillatus from Rota and “conspecific” populations on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. The distinctiveness of the Rota population suggests that this taxon should be recognized as a distinct species, a result that bears on the conservation of this population because it has been declining dramatically in recent years. All optimal trees based on analysis of the mitochondrial sequence data place Rukia oleaginea within the genus Zosterops. In all optimal trees, Cleptornis marchei positions as the sister taxon to a clade including all other zosteropids included in this study. The trees based on our data strongly contradict the traditional classification of Cleptornis as a honeyeater (family Meliphagidae). Our data cannot resolve with any confidence the sister relationships of the insular endemic white-eyes, although the optimal trees suggest multiple colonizations of Micronesia by more than one white-eye lineage.

Phylogenetic Relationships of Micronesian White-Eyes Based on Mitochondrial Sequence Data

Using mitochondrial sequence data, we estimated phylogenetic relationships and genetic divergence among selected species of white-eyes (Zosteropidae). We focused on taxa endemic to islands in Micronesia, specifically Zosterops conspicillatus, Z. semperi, Z. hypolais, Rukia oleaginea, and Cleptornis marchei. We also included in our data set five additional species of Zosterops from the Indo-Australian region and three species from Africa, as well as additional passerine outgroups. Our mitochondrial sequence data revealed substantial genetic divergence (5.7 to 7.3%) among Z. conspicillatus, Z. semperi, and Z. hypolais, three taxa that formerly were treated as a single species. In addition, a sequence divergence of 6.5 ± SE of 1.7% was found between the population of Z. conspicillatus from Rota and “conspecific” populations on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. The distinctiveness of the Rota population suggests that this taxon should be recognized as a distinct species, a result that bears on the conservation of this population because it has been declining dramatically in recent years. All optimal trees based on analysis of the mitochondrial sequence data place Rukia oleaginea within the genus Zosterops. In all optimal trees, Cleptornis marchei positions as the sister taxon to a clade including all other zosteropids included in this study. The trees based on our data strongly contradict the traditional classification of Cleptornis as a honeyeater (family Meliphagidae). Our data cannot resolve with any confidence the sister relationships of the insular endemic white-eyes, although the optimal trees suggest multiple colonizations of Micronesia by more than one white-eye lineage.

Standard metabolic rates of three nectarivorous meliphagid passerine birds

Standard metabolic rate (VO2 STD) was determined for three species of passerine bird from the family Meliphagidae to investigate the possible effect of nectarivory on standard metabolic rate in this family. The three species that we investigated did not show a significant departure from allometric predictions of standard metabolic rate for passerine species. Disparities between standard metabolic rate for meliphagids in the present study and previous data appear to reflect methodological differences, and no general allometric relationship is apparent for meliphagids at present. In meliphagids, nectarivory per se is not an important correlate with standard metabolic rate. Data from additional meliphagid species, collected under standardised conditions, are required to confirm the generality of the findings of the present study, that nectarivorous meliphagids have a standard metabolic rate typical of passerine birds.

Renal function in red wattlebirds in response to varying fluid intake

Red wattlebirds (Anthochaera carunculata) are among the more nectarivorous of the Australian honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae). As such, they potentially ingest large and dilute fluid loads as food, and they produce copious dilute urine in the field. We examined in the laboratory the renal mechanisms by which such fluid loads are processed. Wattlebirds received one of three liquid diets [a mix of honey, water, and Complan (Boots) complete dietary supplement] of varying concentration (250, 1000, and 1750 mmol/kg, Na+/K+ concentrations of 4/4, 12/15, and 23/30 mmol/l, respectively). We measured renal function via infusion of a filtration marker (14C-polyethylene glycol) from osmotic minipumps implanted intraperitoneally. Wattlebirds consumed volumes of the three diets sufficient to provide nearly equal caloric intakes (approximately 200 kJ/day), and as a consequence had water turnover rates varying from 30 to 200 ml/day (approximately 50–335% of total body water per day). Renal function in the morning, before feeding, did not differ among diet groups (glomerular filtration rate =18 ml/h, urine flow rate =0.4 ml/h). In the afternoon, after feeding, urine flow did vary, from 3 ml/h in birds on the most concentrated diet to 6 ml/h on the most dilute. This was accomplished by varying the rate of tubular reabsorption of water (from a high of >90% on the most concentrated diet to a low of just over 70% on the most dilute), with little variation in the rate of glomerular filtration (mean ∼23 ml/h). Comparisons between dietary intakes and urinary outputs of water and electrolytes suggest that not all dietary water was absorbed from the gut, but that there was significant post-renal reabsorption of Na+. The reduced fractional water reabsorption on the dilute diet was accompanied by a decrease in the circulating concentration of arginine vasotocin (from >4 pg/ml in birds on the two more concentrated diets to <1 pg/ml on the most dilute diet). In contrast, concentrations of aldosterone (10–20 pg/ml) did not differ among diets. Perhaps in consequence, renal fractional absorption of Na+ also did not differ, and so birds on the dilute diet, with their higher urine flows, had higher rates of Na+ excretion and suffered a decreased concentration of Na+ in the plasma.

Regulation of water and sodium balance in the field by Australian honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae).

We evaluated the use of water and sodium by free-living individuals of several species of Australian honeyeaters (Acanthorhynchos superciliosus, Phylidonyris novaehollandiae, Phylidonyris nigra, Manorina flavigula, and Anthochaera carunculata). Water and Na fluxes were highly variable between species, largely reflecting differences in diet. Water fluxes ranged from approximately 300% of total body water per day in 10-g, nectarivorous A. superciliosus to approximately 45% of total body water per day, typical of a desert species, in M. flavigula, a 50-g, insectivorous, arid-zone bird. Similarly, Na fluxes ranged from nearly 60% of Na pool per day in A. superciliosus to about 25% per day in M. flavigula. Despite these different fluxes, values of regulated osmoregulatory variables, including plasma osmolality, hematocrit, plasma concentrations of Na+ and K+, and exchangeable Na pool, were relatively invariant both between species and within species at different seasons. In contrast, values of variables reflecting the operation of regulatory systems did differ between species and seasons. Urine concentrations were highest in M. flavigula and, in A. carunculata, varied seasonally (higher in summer than winter). Plasma concentrations of aldosterone were lowest in A. carunculata (5-25 pg/mL), highest in P. novaehollandiae (70-200 pg/mL), and in the latter species were higher in winter than summer. Concentrations of arginine vasotocin ranged from 5 pg/mL in A. carunculata to greater than 30 pg/mL in M. flavigula. Our data demonstrate that within the family Meliphagidae, there exists substantial variation in the fluxes of water and Na and that these relate in part to body size variation but more importantly to diet. The different fluxes between species are reflected in the values of numerous osmoregulatory variables.