Avian Island Radiations Shed Light on the Dynamics of Adaptive and Nonadaptive Radiation
Resource type
Journal article
Date published
April 15, 2024
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms underlying species formation and differentiation is a central goal of evolutionary biology and a formidable challenge. This understanding can provide valuable insights into the origins of the astonishing diversity of organisms living on our planet. Avian evolutionary radiations on islands have long fascinated biologists as they provide the ideal variation to study the ecological and evolutionary forces operating on the continuum between incipient lineages to complete speciation. In this review, we summarize the key insights gained from decades of research on adaptive and nonadaptive radiations of both extant and extinct insular bird species. We present a new comprehensive global list of potential avian radiations on oceanic islands, based on published island species checklists, taxonomic studies, and phylogenetic analyses. We demonstrate that our understanding of evolutionary processes is being greatly enhanced through the use of genomic tools. However, to advance the field, it is critical to complement this information with a solid understanding of the ecological and behavioral traits of both extinct and extant avian island species.
Journal title
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
eISSN
1943-0264
Official URL
Rights statement
In Copyright