Open AccessGenetic divergence of the M esoamerican azure‐crowned hummingbird ( A mazilia cyanocephala , T rochilidae) across the M otagua‐ P olochic‐ J ocotán fault system
Author(s) -
RodríguezGómez Flor,
Ornelas Juan Francisco
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.769
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1439-0469
pISSN - 0947-5745
DOI - 10.1111/jzs.12047
Subject(s) - hummingbird , subspecies , biology , mesoamerica , lineage (genetic) , cloud forest , endemism , endangered species , ecology , divergence (linguistics) , genetic divergence , ecological niche , taxon , evolutionary biology , zoology , habitat , genetic diversity , montane ecology , geography , population , linguistics , philosophy , demography , sociology , biochemistry , archaeology , gene
The cloud forests of Mesoamerica are highly endangered habitats and the existence of narrowly distributed cryptic endemics will increase the number of taxa at potential risk of extinction. Here, we investigate genetic divergence between populations of the azure‐crowned hummingbird ( A mazilia cyanocephala ), a species complex of endemic hummingbirds to the montane forests of Mesoamerica, by analysing DNA sequences of four mitochondrial markers, morphological data and ecological niche modelling. Our results revealed the presence of two mt DNA lineages corresponding to subspecies A. c. cyanocephala distributed from Tamaulipas to Chiapas in Mexico and A mazilia c. guatemalensis distributed from southern Chiapas to Guatemala. The lineage split can be explained as a consequence of relative isolation of the populations in the different mountain ranges separated by the Motagua‐Polochic‐Jocotán fault system and corresponds to differences in morphology and to the lack of overlap in environmental space between subspecies. The divergence time estimates do not support the proposed model of a highly constrained temporal window at the end of the Pliocene as divergence at this barrier between cyanocephala and guatemalensis and splits of other bird taxa occurred during the Pleistocene.