http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-06/uocp-cbt062006.php
Public release date: 20-Jun-2006
University of Chicago Press Journals
Can biological traits predict diversification rates in birds?
Why do some taxanomic families contain many species and others contain
far fewer? There has been much debate in the scientific community over
the reason for such variation, but a recent study in The American
Naturalist by Albert B. Phillimore (Imperial College London, Silwood
Park Campus), Robert P. Freckleton (Oxford University), C. David L.
Orme (Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus), and Ian P. F.
Owens (Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus) identifies the two
biological traits in birds that account for most of the variation:
dispersal and feeding generalization.
"Few studies have looked at ecological traits such as dispersal and
feeding generalization as explanations for variation in rate of
diversification, perhaps because these traits are challenging to
quantify," says Phillimore. "Hopefully our findings may stimulate
research into the role played by ecological traits in the
diversification of other types of organisms."
The study found that bird families with high seasonal dispersal rates
and very general feeding patterns also had the highest species
diversification rates.
###
Albert B Phillimore, Robert P. Freckleton, C. David L. Orme, and Ian P.
F. Owens. "Ecology predicts large-scale patterns of phylogenetic
diversification in birds." The American Naturalist 167:7.
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