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Behavioural evolution in penguins does not reflect phylogeny
Adrian M Paterson1, Graham P Wallis2, Martyn Kennedy2
1Department of Ecology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, PO Box 85084, Lincoln, 7647, New Zealand.
Cladistics : the International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society
|November 17, 2021
Summary
This study used behavioral and life history traits to infer penguin phylogeny, finding that most traits were homologous and stable since the origin of modern penguins. The ancestral penguin likely had temperate life history traits but few complex behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Phylogenetics
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Comparative methods are widely used in behavioral ecology but often lack explicit phylogenetic frameworks.
- Understanding the evolutionary history of behavioral and life history traits requires robust phylogenetic inference.
Purpose of the Study:
- To infer penguin phylogeny using behavioral and life history (BLH) traits.
- To assess the homology of behavioral characters within penguins.
- To evaluate hypotheses regarding character evolution and reconstruct ancestral states.
Main Methods:
- Parsimony analysis of 68 BLH traits from 15 penguin species.
- Kishino-Hasegawa tests to compare BLH-derived phylogenies with previous estimates.
- Homology assessment by mapping BLH traits onto a molecular phylogeny.
- Reconstruction of ancestral BLH traits using character states.
Main Results:
- Parsimony analysis yielded robust penguin phylogenies, with unordered coding producing more accurate results than Dollo coding.
- BLH-derived phylogenies significantly differed from previous estimates.
- 65 of 68 BLH traits were inferred to be homologous, with several stable since the origin of modern penguins (~30 million years ago).
- The ancestral penguin likely possessed temperate life history traits and limited ritualized behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral and life history traits provide valuable data for phylogenetic inference in penguins.
- A southern, cool-temperate origin is suggested for penguins.
- Ancestral state reconstruction indicates a basal penguin lineage with simpler behavioral repertoires compared to extant temperate species.
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