© 2008 Society of Systematic Biologists
Accounting for Phylogenetic Uncertainty in Biogeography: A Bayesian Approach to Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis of the Thrushes (Aves: Turdus)
1 School of Computational Science, Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA; E-mail: nylander{at}scs.fsu.edu
2 Department of Systematic Zoology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
3 Department of Zoology, Göteborg University Box 463, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
4 Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Swedish Museum of Natural History P.O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
5 Department of Biodiversity and Conservation, Real Jardin Botanico-CSIC Plaza de Murillo 2; 28014 Madrid, Spain
6 Current Address: Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Box 7007, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Edited by Allan Baker
 |
Abstract |
|---|
The phylogeny of the thrushes (Aves: Turdus) has been difficult to reconstruct due to short internal branches and lack of node support for certain parts of the tree. Reconstructing the biogeographic history of this group is further complicated by the fact that current implementations of biogeographic methods, such as dispersal-vicariance analysis (DIVA; Ronquist, 1997), require a fully resolved tree. Here, we apply a Bayesian approach to dispersal-vicariance analysis that accounts for phylogenetic uncertainty and allows a more accurate analysis of the biogeographic history of lineages. Specifically, ancestral area reconstructions can be presented as marginal distributions, thus displaying the underlying topological uncertainty. Moreover, if there are multiple optimal solutions for a single node on a certain tree, integrating over the posterior distribution of trees often reveals a preference for a narrower set of solutions. We find that despite the uncertainty in tree topology, ancestral area reconstructions indicate that the Turdus clade originated in the eastern Palearctic during the Late Miocene. This was followed by an early dispersal to Africa from where a worldwide radiation took place. The uncertainty in tree topology and short branch lengths seems to indicate that this radiation took place within a limited time span during the Late Pliocene. The results support the role of Africa as a probable source area for intercontinental dispersals as suggested for other passerine groups, including basal diversification within the songbird tree.
Keywords: Bayesian inference; dispersal-vicariance analysis; historical biogeography; Turdus
Received February 23, 2007; Revised April 20, 2007; Accepted January 9, 2008
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Antonelli, J. A. A. Nylander, C. Persson, and I. Sanmartin Tracing the impact of the Andean uplift on Neotropical plant evolution PNAS, June 16, 2009; 106(24): 9749 - 9754. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|