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Demographic consequences of foraging ecology explain genetic diversification in Neotropical bird species
Author(s) -
Miller Matthew J.,
Bermingham Eldredge,
Turner Benjamin L.,
Touchon Justin C.,
Johnson Andrew B.,
Winker Kevin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.13674
Subject(s) - biology , ecology , insectivore , foraging , frugivore , nectar , genetic divergence , ecological release , sympatric speciation , ecological niche , biodiversity , habitat , genetic diversity , pollen , population , demography , sociology
Despite evidence that species’ traits affect rates of bird diversification, biogeographic studies tend to prioritise earth history in Neotropical bird speciation. Here we compare mitochondrial genetic differentiation among 56 co‐distributed Neotropical bird species with varying ecologies. The trait ‘diet’ best predicted divergence, with plant‐dependent species (mostly frugivores and nectivores) showing lower levels of genetic divergence than insectivores or mixed‐diet species. We propose that the greater vagility and demographic instability of birds whose diets rely on fruit, seeds, or nectar known to vary in abundance seasonally and between years relative to birds that eat primarily insects, drives episodic re‐unification of otherwise isolated populations, resetting the divergence ‘clock’. Testing this prediction using coalescent simulations, we find that plant‐dependent species show stronger signals of recent demographic expansion compared to insectivores or mixed‐diet species, consistent with this hypothesis. Our study provides evidence that localised ecological phenomena scale up to generate larger macroevolutionary patterns.