Horizontal and elevational phylogeographic patterns of Himalayan and Southeast Asian forest passerines (Aves: Passeriformes)

Abstract

Aim Zoogeographic patterns in the Himalayas and their neighbouring Southeast Asian mountain ranges include elevational parapatry and ecological segregation, particularly among passerine bird species. We estimate timings of lineage splits among close relatives from the north Palaearctic, the Sino-Himalayan mountain forests and from adjacent Southeast Asia. We also compare phylogeographic affinities and timing of radiation among members of avian communities from different elevational belts.Location East Asia. MethodsWe reconstructed molecular phylogenies based on a mitochondrial marker (cytochrome b) and multilocus data sets for seven passerine groups: Aegithalidae, Certhiidae (Certhia), Fringillidae (Pyrrhula), Paridae (Periparus), Phylloscopidae, Regulidae and Timaliidae (Garrulax sensu lato). Molecular dating was carried out using a Bayesian approach applying a relaxed clock in beast. Time estimates were inferred from three independent calibrations based on either a fixed mean substitution rate or fixed node ages. The biogeographic history of each group was reconstructed using a parsimony-based approach.Results Passerine radiation in Southeast Asia can be divided into roughly three major phases of separation events. We infer that an initial Miocene radiation within the Southeast Asian region included invasions of (sub)tropical faunal elements from the Indo-Burmese region to the Himalayan foothills and further successive invasions to Central Asia and Taiwan towards the early Pliocene. During two further Pliocene/Pleistocene phases, the subalpine mountain belt of the Sino-Himalayas was initially invaded by boreal species with clear phylogenetic affinities to the north Palaearctic taiga belt. Most terminal splits between boreal Himalayan/Chinese sister taxa were dated to the Pleistocene.Main conclusions Extant patterns of elevational parapatry and faunal transition in the Sino-Himalayas originated from successive invasions from different climatic regions. The initiation of Southeast Asian passerine diversification and colonization of the Himalayan foothills in the mid-Miocene coincides with the postulated onset of Asian monsoon climate and the resulting floral and faunal turnovers. Patterns of elevational parapatry were established by southward invasions of boreal avifaunal elements to the subalpine Sino-Himalayan forest belt that were strongly connected to climate cooling towards the end of the Pliocene. Current patterns of allopatry and parapatry in boreal species (groups) were shaped through Pleistocene forest fragmentation in East Asia.

Genetic confirmation of the species status of Jabouilleia naungmungensis

“…In any case, conspecific classification of R. m. albostriatus and R. m. malacoptilus (Dickinson and Christidis 2014; under the genus Napothera) is not supported by our phylogeny (for the species status of the latter and R. albostriatus, see del Hoyo and Collar 2016). Nevertheless, the deep split between J. naungmungensis and its eastern sister clade reflects a rather common phylogeographic pattern at the species level, i.e., an east-west disjunction between Central Himalayan endemics and their eastern Himalayan/Indochinese/Indo-Myanmar counterparts (Martens 2015;Päckert et al 2012Päckert et al , 2015.…”

Diversification of the cold-adapted butterfly genus Oeneis related to Holarctic biogeography and climatic niche shifts

“…Cold periods interconnected biota across the Holarctic by promoting lowland dispersal events (Schmitt and Haubrich, 2008;Todisco et al, 2012) and movements of Arctic assemblages to southern latitudes (Päckert et al, 2012;Eidesen et al, 2013) followed by in-situ speciation (Vila et al, 2011). This connectivity was probably associated to species' ecological q This paper was edited by the Associate Editor Francesco Frati.…”

A multilocus molecular phylogeny for the avian genus Liocichla (Passeriformes: Leiothrichidae: Liocichla)

“…Diversification of Liocichla species in mainland Asia follows many of the patterns observed in other avian taxa in Asia. Southcentral China and Southeast Asia are in particular pivotal centers of origin for biodiversity of Asia, particularly for passerine birds [31,32,74], and these regions encompass the probable ancestral Miocene distribution for the Liocichla [10,11,31]. Only L. bugunorum and L. phoenicea exhibit Himalayan distributions and each has a sister taxon with a different non-Himalayan distribution (Central China and South China/Northern Indochina respectively).…”

“…The collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia and the resulting rise of the Himalayas, episodic climate change creating shifting precipitation patterns and periodic land bridge connections resulting from rising and falling sea levels [69][70][71][72] have all contributed to the biogeographical patterns found among Asian species [12,31,33,[73][74][75][76][77][78]. These events also likely played critical roles in the diversification of Liocichla in Asia.…”

“…Generating a robust molecular phylogeny for Liocichla that includes all currently recognized taxa would be a valuable piece of the babbler puzzle and may provide a point of comparison for broader studies of speciation and biogeography in Asia. A reliable and comprehensive phylogeny for the babblers is particularly relevant for elucidating the history of continental island biotas in Asia such as those in Taiwan, Hainan, Indochina and the Greater Sunda islands and for the biotas associated with the uplift of the Himalayas [31][32][33].…”