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Related Experiment Videos

Density-dependent cladogenesis in birds.

Albert B Phillimore1, Trevor D Price

  • 1Natural Environment Research Council Centre for Population Biology and Division of Biology, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

Plos Biology
|March 28, 2008
PubMed
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Adaptive radiation in birds shows a slowdown in speciation rates as clades grow. This pattern, observed in 57% of large bird clades, supports density-dependent speciation, not just random diversification.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Speciation Research
  • Ornithology

Background:

  • Adaptive radiation is often characterized by a decreasing speciation rate over time.
  • Previous studies on single clades suggest density-dependent speciation based on diversification slowdowns.
  • However, simulations indicate that clade size can influence observed slowdowns, irrespective of density dependence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether observed speciation slowdowns in bird clades are indicative of density-dependent speciation or a consequence of clade size and stochastic processes.
  • To test the adaptive radiation model against a constant-rate diversification model using a meta-analysis of bird phylogenies.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a meta-analysis of sequence-based phylogenies for 45 bird clades.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed the distribution of speciation events through time for each clade.
  • Compared observed slowdown frequencies in large clades (>20 species) with predictions from stochastic constant-rate and density-dependent models.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant slowdown in speciation rate was observed in 57% (13 of 23) of bird clades with more than 20 species.
    • The frequency of slowdowns in large bird clades was higher than expected under a purely stochastic constant-rate model.
    • The observed pattern of slowdowns is consistent with the predictions of the adaptive radiation model.

    Conclusions:

    • The data strongly support a model of density-dependent speciation in birds.
    • Speciation rates appear to decrease as ecological opportunities and geographical space become limiting factors for clade expansion.
    • This suggests that adaptive radiation in birds is influenced by density-dependent mechanisms.