Ecological opportunity and ecomorphological convergence in Australasian robins (Petroicidae)

Ecological theories of adaptive radiation predict that ecological opportunity (EO) stimulates cladogenesis through entry into a novel environment and/or release of competition pressures. Due to its dynamic paleoclimatic and geological history, the Australo-Papuan region constitutes an opportune scenario to study patterns of diversification in relation to the colonization of new ecological niches. Here, we employ a comparative framework using the Australasian robins (Petroicidae) as a model system to test whether the diversification of this bird family fulfils a niche-filling process as predicted by the EO model, and to test whether the observed morphological similarity is described by a pattern of phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC) or convergence. Although we detected an early-burst, we did not find a slowdown in speciation or morphological evolution as expected in a niche-filling scenario. Divergence in tarsus length and tail length (PC1) was consistent with a multi-peak model, in w...适应辐射的生态学理论预测，生态机会（ecological opportunity, EO）可通过进入新环境以及/或缓解竞争压力来促进分支演化。澳大拉西亚-巴布亚地区因其动态变化的古气候与地质历史，成为研究与新生态位拓殖相关的物种分化模式的理想研究场景。本研究以澳鸲科（Petroicidae）为模式系统，采用比较研究框架，旨在验证该鸟类类群的分化过程是否符合EO模型所预测的生态位填充模式，并探究观测到的形态相似性是由系统发育生态位保守性（phylogenetic niche conservatism, PNC）还是趋同演化所导致。尽管研究检测到了演化早期爆发信号，但并未发现生态位填充场景中预期的物种形成或形态演化速率放缓现象。跗跖长度与尾长（PC1）的分化结果符合多峰模型，在w...