Behavioral, morphological, and ecological trait evolution in two clades of New World sparrows (Aimophila and Peucaea, Passerellidae)

The New World sparrows (Passerellidae) are a large and diverse group of songbirds that have been the subject of many studies on ecology, behavior, and evolutionary relationships. Here, we studied two clades of sparrows (Aimophila, Peucaea) to examine the evolution of behavioral, morphological, and ecological traits in a phylogenetic framework. Specifically, we inferred phylogenetic relationships in these clades, conducted ancestral state reconstructions, and asked whether patterns of trait evolution extend more broadly to New World Sparrows. Our phylogenetic analyses recovered relationships that support recent taxonomic revisions and improve our understanding of relationships among species within the genera Aimophila and Peucaea. Analyses of trait evolution revealed that behavioral traits exhibit stronger phylogenetic signal than morphological traits within these genera and more broadly across New World Sparrows. The most highly conserved derived trait was the presence and structure of ...