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Adaptations to light contribute to the ecological niches and evolution of the terrestrial avifauna.

ABSTRACT: The role of light in structuring the ecological niche remains a frontier in understanding how vertebrate communities assemble and respond to global change. For birds, eyes represent the primary external anatomical structure specifically evolved to interpret light, yet eye morphology remains understudied compared to movement and dietary traits. Here, I use Stanley Ritland's unpublished measurements of transverse eye diameter from preserved specimens to explore the ecological and phylogenetic drivers of eye morphology for a third of terrestrial avian diversity (N = 2777 species). Species with larger eyes specialized in darker understory and forested habitats, foraging manoeuvres and prey items requiring long-distance optical resolution and were more likely to occur in tropical latitudes. When compared to dietary and movement traits, eye size was a top predictor for habitat, foraging manoeuvre, diet and latitude, adding 8-28% more explanatory power. Eye size was phylogenetically conserved (λ = 0.90), with phylogeny explaining 61% of eye size variation. I suggest that light has contributed to the evolution and assembly of global vertebrate communities and that eye size provides a useful predictor to assess community response to global change.

SUBMITTER: Ausprey IJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8113912 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Southwestern China, adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), is known as a hotspot for plant diversity and endemism, and it is the origin and diversification center of Persicarieae. As one of the major lineages in Polygonaceae, Persicarieae represents a diverse adaptation to various habitats. As a result of morphological plasticity and poorly resolving molecular markers, phylogenetic relationships and infrageneric classification within Persicarieae have long been controversial. In addition, neither plastome phylogenomic studies nor divergence time estimates on a larger sample of Persicarieae species have been made thus far. We sequenced and assembled 74 complete plastomes, including all of the recognized genera within Persicarieae and their relatives. We conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic study of the major clades within Persicarieae and, based on the thus obtained robust phylogeny, also estimated divergence time and the evolution of diagnostic morphological traits. Major relationships found in previous phylogenetic studies were confirmed, including those of the backbone of the tree, which had been a major problem in previous phylogenies of the tribe. Phylogenetic analysis revealed strong support for Koenigia as sister to Bistorta, and together they were sister to the robustly supported Persicaria. Based on the phylogenetic and morphological evidence, we recognize five sections in Persicaria: Persicaria, Amphibia, Tovara, Echinocaulon, and Cephalophilon. It is estimated that the divergence of the Persicarieae began around the late Paleocene, with diversification concentrated in the Eocene and Miocene. In addition, it is suggested that the increasing westerly and monsoon winds in conjunction with the uplift of the QTP may be the driving force for origin and diversification of Persicarieae species. These results provide a valuable evolutionary framework for the study of adaptation in Polygonaceae and insights into plant diversification on the QTP and adjacent areas.

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Adaptations to light contribute to the ecological niches and evolution of the terrestrial avifauna.

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