Systematics and genomic architecture of Piculus flavigula (Boddeart, 1819) (Aves: Picidae)

• Grant number: 25/07032-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 31, 2025
• End date: November 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Vagner Aparecido Cavarzere Junior
• Grantee: Enrico Lopes Breviglieri
• Supervisor: Glaucia Cristina Del Rio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Florida, Gainesville (UF), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/18369-5 - Systematics and genomic architecture of Piculus flavigula (Boddaert, 1783) (Aves: Picidae), BP.MS

Abstract

The Piculus flavigula species complex includes three subspecies: P. f. flavigula, P. f. magnus and P. f. erythropis. They were described based on morphological variations, but the absence of an integrative taxonomic review leads to inconsistencies in the species limits within the populations. Tissue samples from the taxa will be sequenced, analyzing sequences from museum collections and those in publicly accessible databases. To measure the level of reproductive isolation between taxa, we will sequence a complete genome for one individual of P. f. magnus, and we will resequence (at 20x coverage) whole genomes of 50 individuals representing the main populations that make up the species complex. By characterizing the genetic variation in the genomic landscape, combined with bioacoustic and morphological data, we hope to identify how many, and which evolutionary lineages are present in the P. flavigula complex, and to access their threat status. The importance of this taxonomic revision is therefore particularly important for the populations from the Belém and Pernambuco Endemism Centers, under immediate threat due to habitat fragmentation. The taxonomic review and genomic architecture will therefore direct more effective conservation actions to preserve these populations once their taxonomic delimitation and genetic variably are properly described. (AU)