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371 results for “Ecology and Evolution”
Data and Code for "Urban socioeconomic variation influences the ecology and evolution of trophic interactions"
<p>Data and code required for all analyses in <em>Urban socioeconomic variation influences the ecology and evolution of trophic interactions</em>. </p> <p><a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/Gall_Data_2022_new.csv">Gall_Data_2022_new.csv</a> contains data for gall predation and diameter measurements. <a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/Goldrod_Gall_Density.csv">Goldrod_Gall_Density.csv</a> contains goldenrod and gall density measurements for each site. <a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/GallSitesFinal.csv">GallSitesFinal.csv</a> contains location data for all study sites. <a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/DisseminationAreaCodes.csv">DisseminationAreaCodes.csv</a> contains codes for each site location needed to obtain census data. Full descriptions of data are included in <a href="../api/records/10702694/draft/files/README.txt/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">README.txt</a></p> <p>The script <a href="../api/records/10640975/draft/files/DataCleaning.R/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DataCleaning.R</a> assembles the above four datasets with environmental and census data to produce the final dataset: <a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/MartinElGalmady%26Johnson2023_cleandataset.csv">MartinElGalmady&Johnson2023_cleandataset.csv</a> and the supplemental dataset with galls with early larval death removed: <a href="../api/records/10640975/draft/files/NoELD_dataset.csv/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NoELD_dataset.csv</a></p> <p><a href="../api/records/10640975/draft/files/Analysis.R/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Analysis.R</a> provides the code for conducting analyses and producing figures using the <a href="../api/files/5ca97a29-9947-482a-9095-5a54c40c57f0/MartinElGalmady%26Johnson2023_cleandataset.csv">MartinElGalmady&Johnson2023_cleandataset.csv</a> dataset (or the <a href="../api/records/10640975/draft/files/NoELD_dataset.csv/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NoELD_dataset.csv</a> for supplemental analyses with early larval death removed).</p> <p>Detailed descriptions of the final dataset are included in <a href="../api/records/10702694/draft/files/cleandataset_metadata.csv/content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cleandataset_metadata.csv</a> (NoELD_dataset has the same rows and columns as the full dataset). </p> <p>All code was run in R verison 4.2.2</p>
Evolution of wing shape in geometrid moths: phylogenetic effects dominate over ecology
<p>Locomotory performance is an important determinant of fitness in most animals, including flying insects. Strong selective pressures on wing morphology are therefore expected. Previous studies on wing shape in Lepidoptera have found some support for hypotheses relating wing shape to environment-specific selective pressures on aerodynamic performance. Here, we present a phylogenetic comparative study on wing shape in the lepidopteran family Geometridae, covering all 374 species of the northern European fauna. We focused on eleven wing traits including aspect ratio, wing roundness, and the pointedness of the apex, as well as the ratio of forewing and hindwing areas. All measures were taken from images available on the internet, using a combination of tools available in Fiji software and in R. We found that wing shape demonstrates a phylogenetically conservative pattern of evolution in Geometridae, showing similar or greater phylogenetic signal than many of its potential predictors. Several wing traits showed statistically significant associations with predictors such as body size, flight phenology, and preference for forest habitats. Overall, however, all of these associations remained notably weak, with no wing shape being excluded for any value of the predictors, including body size. We conclude that, in geometrids, wing traits do not readily respond to selective pressures optimising aerodynamic performance of the moths in different environments. Selection on wing shape may nevertheless operate through other functions of the wings, with the effectiveness of crypsis at rest being a promising candidate for further studies.</p>
The evolution of plasticity in brain morphology following colonization of an ecologically divergent habitat in Trinidadian guppies
<p>Natural environments are constantly changing. To survive, organisms will either need to rapidly adapt to new conditions or colonize new habitats. Colonization has been hypothesized to select for increased plasticity as well as increased brain size, though empirical tests of these effects have proven difficult to evaluate. In particular, the degree to which plasticity of brain morphology can evolve, and its subsequent ecological consequences have rarely been explored. Trinidadian guppies (<em>Poecilia reticulata</em>) are known for their repeated adaptation to ancestral high-predation (HP) and derived low-predation (LP) environments. We used this system to examine the evolution and plasticity of brain morphology. We exposed second-generation offspring of individuals collected from HP and LP sites to two different kinds of environmental treatments: predation cues and conspecific social environment. We found that guppies descended from a colonized LP habitat showed greater plasticity in brain morphology than descendants of their ancestral HP population, supporting the hypothesis that plasticity of brain morphology may increase fitness after colonization of a novel habitat. Additionally, we show sexual dimorphism in brain morphology plasticity. Overall, these results suggest the evolution of brain morphology plasticity as an important mechanism that allows for ecological diversification and colonization of novel habitats.</p>
Microsatellite genotype data from: Male-biased dispersal in a fungus-gardening ant symbiosis (Matthews et al, Ecology and Evolution)
<p>For nearly all organisms, dispersal is a fundamental life history trait that can shape their ecology and evolution. Variation in dispersal capabilities within a species exists and can influence population genetic structure and ecological interactions. In fungus-gardening (attine) ants, co-dispersal of ants and mutualistic fungi is crucial to the success of this obligate symbiosis. Female-biased dispersal (and gene flow) may be favored in attines because virgin queens carry the responsibility of dispersing the fungi, but a paucity of research has made this conclusion difficult. Here, we investigate dispersal of the fungus-gardening ant <i>Trachymyrmex septentrionalis</i> using a combination of maternally- (mitochondrial DNA) and biparentally-inherited (microsatellites) markers. We found three distinct, spatially isolated mitochondrial DNA haplotypes; two were found in the Florida panhandle and the other in the Florida peninsula. In contrast, biparental markers illustrated significant gene flow across this region and minimal spatial structure. The differential patterns uncovered from mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers suggest that most long-distance ant dispersal is male-biased and that females (and concomitantly the fungus) have more limited dispersal capabilities. Consequently, the limited female dispersal is likely an important bottleneck for the fungal symbiont. This bottleneck could slow fungal genetic diversification, which has significant implications for both ant hosts and fungal symbionts regarding population genetics, species distributions, adaptive responses to environmental change, and coevolutionary patterns.</p>
Stabilized morphological evolution of spiders despite mosaic changes in foraging ecology
<p><span>A prominent question in animal research is how the evolution of morphology and ecology interact in the generation of phenotypic diversity. Spiders are some of the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems and exhibit a diversity of foraging styles. It remains unclear how spider body size and proportions relate to foraging style, and if the use of webs as prey capture devices correlates with changes in body characteristics. Here we present the most extensive dataset to date of morphometric and ecological traits in spiders. We used this dataset to estimate the change in spider body sizes and shapes over deep time and to test if and how spider phenotypes are correlated with their behavioural ecology. We found that phylogenetic variation of most traits best fitted an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model, which is a model of stabilizing selection. A prominent exception was body length, whose evolutionary dynamics were best explained with a Brownian Motion (free trait diffusion) model. This was most expressed in the araneoid clade (ecribellate orb-weaving spiders and allies) that showed bimodal trends towards either miniaturization or gigantism. Only few traits differed significantly between ecological guilds, most prominently leg length and thickness, and although a multivariate framework found general differences in traits among ecological guilds, it was not possible to unequivocally associate a set of morphometric traits with the relative ecological mode. Long, thin legs have often evolved with aerial webs and a hanging (suspended) locomotion style, but this trend is not general. Eye size and fang length did not differ between ecological guilds, rejecting the hypothesis that webs reduce the need for visual cue recognition and prey immobilization. For the inference of the ecology of species with unknown behaviours, we propose not to use morphometric traits, but rather consult (micro-)morphological characters, such as the presence of certain podal structures. These results suggest that, in contrast to insects, the evolution of body proportions in spiders is unusually stabilized, and ecological adaptations are dominantly realized by behavioural traits and extended phenotypes in this group of predators. This work demonstrates the power of combining recent advances in phylogenomics with trait-based approaches to better understand global functional diversity patterns through space and time.</span></p>
The causes and ecological context of rapid morphological evolution in birds
<p><span>Episodic pulses in morphological diversification are a prominent feature of evolutionary history, driven by factors that remain widely disputed. Resolving this question has proved challenging because comprehensive species-level data are generally unavailable at sufficient scale. Combining global phylogenetic and morphological data for birds, we show that pulses of diversification in lineages and traits tend to occur independently and in different contexts. Speciation pulses are preceded by greater differentiation in overall morphology and habitat niche, then followed by increased rates of beak evolution. Contrary to standard hypotheses, pulses of morphological diversification tend to be associated with habitat niche stability rather than adaptation to different diets and habitat types. These patterns suggest that the timing of diversification varies across traits according to their ecological function, and that pulses of morphological evolution may occur when successful lineages subdivide niche space within particular habitat types. Our results highlight the growing potential of functional trait data sets to refine macroevolutionary models.</span></p>
Deep learning for ecology and evolution
<p>Supplementary table with references on deep learning in ecology and evolution. Includes reference information with URLs and abstracts. </p>
AngleCam publication data (Methods in Ecology and Evolution, MEE)
<p>These datasets were the basis for the study Kattenborn et al. 2022 published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution (MEE).</p> <p>The dataset includes:<br> - leaf_angle_reference_data: The image data with corresponding leaf angle distributions derived from visual interpretation. Note, that not for each image reference data exists. The corresponding scripts will only select data with available labels.<br> - leaf_angle_predictions_canopy_crane: The predictions obtained using AngleCam for the image time series recorded at the canopy crane. The raw image data amounts to several hundreds of gigabytes and can be obtained from the corresponding author.<br> - environmental_variables: The environmental variables recorded at the Leipzig Canopy Crane recorded in 2021 in 10 minute intervals. The folders lak1*, lak2* and lak3* correspond to consecutive periods (lak1 was recorded before lak2 and so forth). These predictions can be merged according to their time stamp.</p> <p>Questions can be addressed to Teja Kattenborn: https://rsc4earth.de/authors/tkattenborn/</p> <p>The trained models and further ressources are available under: </p> <pre>https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6812085</pre>
Ecology and evolution of competitive trait variation in natural phytoplankton communities under selection
<p>Competition for limiting resources is a major force structuring ecological communities. Species minimum resource requirements (<em>R*</em>s) can predict competitive outcomes and evolve under selection in simple communities under controlled conditions. However, whether <em>R*</em>s predict competitive outcomes or demonstrate adaptive evolution in naturally complex communities is unknown. We subjected natural phytoplankton communities to three types of resource limitation (nitrogen, phosphorus, light) in outdoor mesocosms over ten weeks. We examined the community composition weekly and isolated 21 phytoplankton strains from seven species to quantify responses to selection of R* for these resources. We investigated evolutionary change in R*s in the dominant species, <em>Desmodesmus armatus</em>. <em>R*</em>s were good predictors of species changes in relative abundance, though this was largely driven by the success of <em>D. armatus </em>across several treatments. This species also demonstrated evolutionary change in <em>R*</em>s under resource limitation, supporting the potential for adaptive trait change to modify competitive outcomes in natural communities.</p>
Data supplementing the article "Avoiding quantification bias in metabarcoding: application of a cell biovolume correction factor in diatom molecular biomonitoring" V. Vasselon, A. Bouchez, F. Rimet, S. Jacquet, R. Trobajo, M. Corniquel, K. Tapolczai, I. Domaizon submitted to Methods in Ecology and Evolution journal
<p>These data supplement the article "Avoiding quantification bias in metabarcoding: application of a cell biovolume correction factor in diatom molecular biomonitoring" V. Vasselon, A. Bouchez, F. Rimet, S. Jacquet, R. Trobajo, M. Corniquel, K. Tapolczai, I. Domaizon submitted to Methods in Ecology and Evolution journal</p> <p>The directory contains the following files:</p> <p>1<strong>5 fastq files raw reads (5 mock communities, 3 replicates)</strong><strong>.rar </strong>- contains the 15 fastq files provided by the sequencing platform with demultiplexed DNA reads (raw data prior any bioinformatics treatments).</p> <p><strong>15 fastq files information.xlsx</strong> :</p> <p>- contains the information relative to the 15 fastq files corresponding to the PGM raw data of the 5 mock communities (sequenced with 3 replicates), including: the ID of the fastq files, the mock community name, the replicate number, the final sample Id and the number of raw reads per fastq file.</p> <p>- contains the information of the proportion of the 8 diatoms species (%) used to create the 5 mock communities (estimated from microscopy).</p>
Data for "Testing for variation in photoperiodic plasticity in a butterfly: inconsistent effects of circadian genes between geographic scales" (Ecology and Evolution, accepted manuscript)
<p>Raw data and analysis scripts belonging to <em>Testing for variation in photoperiodic plasticity in a butterfly: inconsistent effects of circadian genes between geographic scales</em> (Ecology and Evolution, accepted manuscript).</p> <p>Includes data from a photoperiodic assay with larvae of the speckled wood butterfly, <em>Pararge aegeria</em>, as well as a small bioinformatic analysis of SNP variation in two circadian candidate genes.</p> <p>List of files:</p> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>statistics_and_figures.R</td> <td>Statistical analysis of phenotyping experiment; drawing figures</td> </tr> <tr> <td>variant_calling.sh</td> <td>Shell script for mapping sequencing reads; calling and tabulating SNPs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>experiment_diapause.txt</td> <td>Data from phenotyping experiment, for analysis of diapause induction</td> </tr> <tr> <td>experiment_larval</td> <td>Data from phenotyping experiment, for analysis of larval development</td> </tr> <tr> <td>snptable_timeless</td> <td>Tabulated allele frequencies for exonic SNPs in timeless</td> </tr> <tr> <td>snptable_period</td> <td>Tabulated allele frequencies for exonic SNPs in period</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
Data from: Genetic divergence and one-way gene flow influence contemporary evolution and ecology of a partially migratory fish
<p>Recent work has revealed the importance of contemporary evolution for shaping ecological outcomes. In particular, rapid evolutionary divergence between populations has been shown to impact the ecology of populations, communities, and ecosystems. While studies have focused largely on the role of adaptive divergence in generating ecologically-important variation among populations, much less is known about the role of gene flow in shaping ecological outcomes. After divergence, populations may continue to interact through gene flow, which may influence evolutionary and ecological processes. Here we investigate the role of gene flow in shaping the contemporary evolution and ecology of recently diverged populations of anadromous steelhead / resident rainbow trout (<em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>). Results show that resident rainbow trout introduced above waterfalls have diverged evolutionarily from downstream anadromous steelhead, which were the source of introductions. However, the movement of fish from above to below the waterfalls has facilitated gene flow, which has reshaped genetic and phenotypic variation in the anadromous source population. In particular, gene flow has led to an increased frequency of residency, which in turn has altered population density, size-structure, and sex ratio. This result establishes gene flow as a contemporary evolutionary process that can have important ecological outcomes. From a management perspective, anadromous steelhead are generally regarded as a higher conservation priority than resident rainbow trout, even when found within the same watershed. Our results show that anadromous and resident <em>O. mykiss</em> populations may be connected via gene flow, with important ecological consequences. Such eco-evolutionary processes should be considered when managing recently diverged populations connected by gene flow.</p>
Data from: The evolution of sex roles: The importance of ecology and social environment
<p>Males and females often have different roles in reproduction, although the origin of these differences have remained controversial. Explaining the enigmatic reversed sex roles where males sacrifice their mating potential and provide full parental care is a particularly long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. While most studies focused on ecological factors as the drivers of sex roles, recent research highlights the significance of social factors such as the adult sex ratio. To disentangle these propositions, here we investigate the additive and interactive effects of several ecological and social factors on sex role variation using shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers and allies) as model organisms that provide the full spectrum of sex role variation including some of the best known examples of sex role reversal. Our results consistently show that social factors play a prominent role in driving sex roles. Importantly, we show for the first time that reversed sex roles are associated with both male-skewed adult sex ratios and high breeding densities. Furthermore, phylogenetic path analyses provide the first general support for sex ratios driving sex role variations rather than being a consequence of sex roles. Together, these novel results open a new research direction by showing that different mating opportunities of males and females play a major role in generating the evolutionary diversity of sex roles, mating system and parental care.</p>
R code and simulation output for Efford, M. G. & Boulanger, J. 2019. Fast evaluation of study designs for spatially explicit capture-recapture. Methods in Ecology and Evolution
<p>R code and simulation output for Efford, M. G. & Boulanger,<br> J. 2019. Fast evaluation of study designs for spatially explicit<br> capture-recapture. Methods in Ecology and Evolution In press.</p> <p>R code draws on previously published R packages 'secr' and 'secrdesign' available from CRAN:</p> <p><a href="https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=secr">https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=secr</a></p> <p><a href="https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=secrdesign">https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=secrdesign</a></p>
Data supplementing the article "Diatom DNA metabarcoding for biomonitoring : strategies to avoid major taxonomical and bioinformatical biases limiting molecular indices capacities" K. Tapolczai, F. Keck, A. Bouchez, F. Rimet, M. Kahlert and V. Vasselon submitted to "Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution" journal
<p>These data supplement the article "Diatom DNA metabarcoding for biomonitoring : strategies to avoid major taxonomical and bioinformatical biases limiting molecular indices capacities" K. Tapolczai, F. Keck, A. Bouchez, F. Rimet, M. Kahlert and V. Vasselon submitted to "Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution" journal.</p> <p>The directory contains the following files:</p> <p><strong>464_samples_fastq_files_(mothur).rar </strong>- contains the 464 fastq files proceed together during the Mothur bioinformatics treatments to produce the OTUs and ISUs tables. As the contig and the demultiplexing steps were performed by the sequencing platform, there is 1 fastq file per sample. From this 464 samples OTU/ISU tables, only information regarding 76 samples were used in this study and are listed in the "<strong>76_samples_list_(mothur).xlsx" </strong>file<strong>.</strong></p> <p><strong>76_samples_list_(mothur).xlsx </strong>- contains the information regarding the 76 samples used to create the OTUs and ISUs tables presented in the paper.</p> <p><strong>76_samples_R1_R2_fastq_files(DADA2).rar - </strong>contains the raw demultiplexed fastq files (R1.fastq and R2.fastq) for each of the 76 samples used in this study to produce the ESVs table using the DADA2 bioinformatics pipeline.</p>
Data files for: Reproductive and ecological adaptations to climate underpin the evolution of sociality in lizards
<p>This repository contains data files and R code neccessary to reproduce the analyses presented in "Reproductive and ecological adaptations to climate underpin the evolution of sociality in lizards" by Halliwell et al.</p> <p>The .R file calls other files within the repository. The .xlsx contains supplementary information regarding data sources.</p>
Data from: Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions
The recently-extinct Malagasy elephant birds (Palaeognathae, Aepyornithiformes) included the largest birds that ever lived. Elephant bird neuroanatomy is understudied but can shed light on the lifestyle of these enigmatic birds. Paleoneurological studies can provide clues to the ecologies and behaviors of extinct birds because avian brain shape is correlated with neurological function. We digitally reconstruct endocasts of two elephant bird species, Aepyornis maximus and A. hildebrandti, and compare them with representatives of all major extant and recently-extinct palaeognath lineages. Among palaeognaths, we find large olfactory bulbs in taxa generally occupying forested environments where visual cues used in foraging are likely to be limited. We detected variation in olfactory bulb size among elephant bird species, possibly indicating interspecific variation in habitat. Elephant birds exhibited extremely reduced optic lobes, a condition also observed in the nocturnal kiwi. Kiwi, the sister taxon of elephant birds, have effectively replaced their visual systems with hyperdeveloped olfactory, somatosensory and auditory systems useful for foraging. We interpret these results as evidence for nocturnality among elephant birds. Vision was likely deemphasized in the ancestor of elephant birds and kiwi. These results show a previously unreported trend toward decreased visual capacity apparently exclusive to flightless, nocturnal taxa endemic to predator-depauperate islands.
Ecology drives the evolution of diverse social strategies in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
<p><span>Bacteria often cooperate by secreting molecules that can be shared as public goods between cells. Because the production of public goods is subject to cheating by mutants that exploit the good without contributing to it, there has been great interest in elucidating the evolutionary forces that maintain cooperation. However, little is known on how bacterial cooperation evolves under conditions where cheating is unlikely of importance. Here we use experimental evolution to follow changes in the production of a model public good, the iron-scavenging siderophore pyoverdine, of the bacterium <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. After 1200 generations of evolution in nine different environments, we observed that cheaters only reached high frequency in liquid medium with low iron availability. Conversely, when adding iron to reduce the cost of producing pyoverdine, we observed selection for pyoverdine hyper-producers. Similarly, hyper-producers also spread in populations evolved in highly viscous media, where relatedness between interacting individuals is increased. Whole-genome sequencing of evolved clones revealed that hyper-production is associated with mutations involving genes encoding quorum-sensing communication systems, while cheater clones had mutations in the iron-starvation sigma factor or in pyoverdine biosynthesis genes. Our findings demonstrate that bacterial social traits can evolve rapidly in divergent directions, with particularly strong selection for increased levels of cooperation occurring in environments where individual dispersal is reduced, as predicted by social evolution theory. Moreover, we establish a regulatory link between pyoverdine production and quorum-sensing, showing that increased cooperation with respect to one trait (pyoverdine) can be associated with the loss (quorum-sensing) of another social trait.Bacteria often cooperate by secreting molecules that can be shared as public goods between cells. Because the production of public goods is subject to cheating by mutants that exploit the good without contributing to it, there has been great interest in elucidating the evolutionary forces that maintain cooperation. However, little is known on how bacterial cooperation evolves under conditions where cheating is unlikely of importance. Here we use experimental evolution to follow changes in the production of a model public good, the iron-scavenging siderophore pyoverdine, of the bacterium <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. After 1200 generations of evolution in nine different environments, we observed that cheaters only reached high frequency in liquid medium with low iron availability. Conversely, when adding iron to reduce the cost of producing pyoverdine, we observed selection for pyoverdine hyper-producers. Similarly, hyper-producers also spread in populations evolved in highly viscous media, where relatedness between interacting individuals is increased. Whole-genome sequencing of evolved clones revealed that hyper-production is associated with mutations involving genes encoding quorum-sensing communication systems, while cheater clones had mutations in the iron-starvation sigma factor or in pyoverdine biosynthesis genes. Our findings demonstrate that bacterial social traits can evolve rapidly in divergent directions, with particularly strong selection for increased levels of cooperation occurring in environments where individual dispersal is reduced, as predicted by social evolution theory. Moreover, we establish a regulatory link between pyoverdine production and quorum-sensing, showing that increased cooperation with respect to one trait (pyoverdine) can be associated with the loss (quorum-sensing) of another social trait.</span></p>
The evolution of sexually dimorphic traits in ecological gradients: An interplay between natural and sexual selection in hummingbirds
<p><span>Traits that exhibit differences between the sexes have been of special interest in the study of phenotypic evolution. Classic hypotheses explain sexually dimorphic traits via intrasexual competition and mate selection, yet natural selection may also act differentially on the sexes to produce dimorphism. Natural selection can act either through physiological and ecological constraints on one of the sexes or by modulating the strength of sexual/social selection. This predicts an association between the degree of dimorphism and variation in ecological environments. Here, we characterise the variation in hummingbird dimorphism across ecological gradients using rich databases of morphology, colouration, and song. We show that morphological dimorphism decreases with elevation in the understorey and increases with elevation in mixed habitats, that dichromatism increases at high altitudes in open and mixed habitats, and that song is less complex in mixed habitats. Our results are consistent with flight constraints, lower predation pressure at high elevations, and with habitat effects on song transmission. We also show that dichromatism and song complexity are positively associated, while tail dimorphism and song complexity are negatively associated. Our results demonstrate that key ecological factors shape sexually dimorphic traits and that different communication modalities do not always evolve in tandem.</span></p>
Phenotypic and ecological data from: Widespread convergent morphological evolution within the largest family of songbirds
<p>Although convergence is a common evolutionary phenomenon, few studies have quantified its prevalence across a large, densely sampled clade. Large-scale phylogenies and the advent of novel computational methods facilitate more robust identification of convergent events and their statistical significance. The tanagers (Aves: Thraupidae), the largest family of songbirds, offer an excellent opportunity to study the extent of phenotypic convergence in response to similar ecological pressures on a continental scale. To investigate convergence in the group, we used the largest phylogenetic and multivariate morphological dataset to date for the clade. First, we used phylogenetic comparative analyses to show a correlation between diet and aspects of bill shape. We then investigated our dataset for the presence and magnitude of convergent events and assessed significance through simulations and modeling analyses. Overall, we found that around half (45.3%) of species and clades we tested have converged in morphological space more than would be expected by chance alone. Our study shows that across Thraupidae, various bill shapes have evolved convergently to fill multiple distinct sections of ecological niche space, reflecting a signal of ecological opportunity and structural constraints.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.