Comparative phylogeography of montane bird species from southern Atlantic Forest: Integrating evolutionary and ecological traits in the study of community assemblage

• Grant number: 17/25720-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal researcher: Cristina Yumi Miyaki
• Grantee: Gregory Thom e Silva
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/50297-0 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: a multidisciplinary framework for biodiversity prediction in the Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot, AP.BTA.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/17869-3 - Comparative phylogeography of montane bird species from southern Atlantic Forest: Integrating evolutionary and ecological traits in the study of community assemblage, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Historical changes in habitat distributions can produce a synchronic response of an entire biological community. However, ecological traits of each population tend to increase the variance among diversification scenarios. In the Neotropical region the Atlantic Forest (AF) stands out due to its high biodiversity intimately linked to its complex landscape. In general, phylogeographic studies of AF organisms are focused on taxa with wide geographic and altitudinal distributions. However, taxa restricted to more specific environments can contribute to understand historical process that are not evident in more widely distributed populations. In this context, montane environments in the AF contrasts are suitable models, as they present high biodiversity and few studies explored their evolutionary processes. Dramatic changes in temperature and rainfall over the Quaternary could have changed the distribution of specific environments altitudinally, promoting expansion of montane habitats during glacial periods and contraction during interglacial periods. In the montane regions of southern AF (in Sao Paulo State) there is a gap of more than 300 km wide without areas above 1000 m. The absence of montane habitats in this region is suitable to the test diversification hypotheses regarding historical connections among currently isolated mountain ranges as well as the effects of ecological traits related to dispersion abilities of the focal taxa. In the present project we aim to estimate the degree of population structure and demographic history of population pairs occurring along the southern AF mountain ranges, testing diversification hypothesis regarding the assemblage of this community. The results obtained will enable comparisons with studies conducted with other endemic vertebrates species revealing new mechanisms of diversification for the AF biota as well as contributing to the conservation of montane environments.

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

THOM, GREGORY; GEHARA, MARCELO; SMITH, BRIAN TILSTON; MIYAKI, CRISTINA Y.; DO AMARAL, FABIO RAPOSO. Microevolutionary dynamics show tropical valleys are deeper for montane birds of the Atlantic Forest. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, v. 12, n. 1 NOV 1 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DO AMARAL, FABIO RAPOSO; THOM, GREGORY; LIMA-RIBEIRO, MATHEUS S.; ALVARADO-SERRANO, DIEGO F.; MONTESANTI, JULIA A. C.; PELLEGRINO, KATIA C. M.; MIYAKI, CRISTINA Y.; HICKERSON, MICHAEL J.; MALDONADO-COELHO, MARCOS. Rugged relief and climate promote isolation and divergence between two neotropical cold-associated birds. Evolution, v. 75, n. 10 AUG 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

THOM, GREGORY; SMITH, BRIAN TILSTON; GEHARA, MARCELO; MONTESANTI, JULIA; LIMA-RIBEIRO, MATHEUS S.; PIACENTINI, VITOR Q.; MIYAKI, CRISTINA Y.; DO AMARAL, FABIO RAPOSO. Climatic dynamics and topography control genetic variation in Atlantic Forest montane birds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, v. 148, JUL 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

MUSHER, LUKAS J.; GALANTE, PETER J.; THOM, GREGORY; HUNTLEY, JERRY W.; BLAIR, MARY E. Shifting ecosystem connectivity during the Pleistocene drove diversification and gene-flow in a species complex of Neotropical birds (Tityridae: Pachyramphus). Journal of Biogeography, v. 47, n. 8 APR 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

THOM, GREGORY; XUE, ALEXANDER T.; SAWAKUCHI, ANDRE O.; RIBAS, CAMILA C.; HICKERSON, MICHAEL J.; ALEIXO, ALEXANDRE; MIYAKI, CRISTINA. Quaternary climate changes as speciation drivers in the Amazon floodplains. SCIENCE ADVANCES, v. 6, n. 11 MAR 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DO AMARAL, FABIO RAPOSO; MALDONADO-COELHO, MARCOS; ALEIXO, ALEXANDRE; LUNA, LEILTON W.; DO REGO, PERICLES SENA; ARARIPE, JULIANA; SOUZA, THAINARA O.; SILVA, WEBER A. G.; THOM, GREGORY. Recent chapters of Neotropical history overlooked in phylogeography: Shallow divergence explains phenotype and genotype uncoupling in Antilophia manakins. Molecular Ecology, v. 27, n. 20, p. 4108-4120, OCT 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.