Download or read book A Phylogenetic Analysis of Extinct and Extant Pan Alcidae Charadriiformes Aves written by Alexandria A. DiGiacomo and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pan-Alcidae is a clade of birds consisting of the crown-clade Alcidae and the extinct Mancallinae. They include 24 extant species, 1 recently extinct species, and a fossil record extending as far back as the Eocene. All extinct and extant Pan-alcid diversity exhibit an exclusively Holarctic distribution with the majority of extant diversity found in the Pacific. The relationships of the Pan-Alcidae have been a long-standing subject of debate. Early systematic hypotheses placed Pan-Alcidae as close relatives of various water birds, however modern phylogenetic hypotheses have supported their placement within Charadriiformes. Their exact placement within Charadriiformes has yielded multiple hypotheses with further difficulty found in resolving the relationships within the clade itself. Until recently, most work on Pan-Alcidae systematics focused primarily on extant diversity, neglecting to include data from their robust fossil record. By performing molecular, morphological, and combined analyses of Pan-Alcidae and a dense outgroup of Charadriiformes representatives, this study proposes hypotheses for the relationships of extinct and extant species. A novel hypothesis is proposed for the placement of the extinct Aethia rossmoori among the Brachyramphus. This relationship makes A. rossmoori the earliest known fossil from this lineage and extends the Brachyramphus lineage's fossil record into the Late Miocene. Additionally, all analyses support the placement of Pseudocepphus teres as sister to the Cepphus extending their temporal and geographic range to include the Middle to Late Miocene Atlantic. A Bayesian total-evidence dating analysis estimated a divergence of Alcidae from other Charadriiformes during the Early Eocene. The divergence of the major Alcidae clades (the Fraterculinae and Alcinae) was estimated to have occurred during the Oligocene. Of 29 fossil Pan-Alcidae species, 6 were inferred to be sampled ancestors. Notably, Mancalla cedrosensis was inferred to be a direct ancestor of Mancalla californiensis providing a novel hypothesis for their previously supported close relationship.
Download or read book Systematics and Evolution of Extinct and Extant Pan Alcidae Aves Charadriiformes written by Neil Adam Smith and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 748 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the ecological interactions and ethology of the wing-propelled diving seabirds known as the Alcidae (Aves, Charadriiformes) have been intensively studied, systematic studies of the clade have been overwhelmingly limited to extant taxa. Alcidae have the richest fossil record among Charadriiformes, with specimens representing more than 35 million years of evolutionary history. Morphometric and apomorphy-based taxonomic revision of previously named extinct alcids along with description of new species of extinct alcids facilitated refined estimates of species richness. Combined phylogenetic analyses of morphological and molecular sequence data including alcid fossils elucidated the poorly understood evolutionary history of the clade. Divergence estimation analysis for Charadriiformes placed previously hypothesized episodes of alcid radiation and extinction in context with proposed paleoclimatic drivers of alcid evolution.
Download or read book Taxonomic Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Flightless Mancallinae Aves Pan Alcidae written by N. Adam Smith and published by PenSoft Publishers LTD. This book was released on 2011-04-20 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The flightless Mancallinae (Aves, Pan-Alcidae) from the Pacific Ocean are represented by one of the richest fossil records among Charadriiformes. A detailed review of previously published and previously undescribed fossils referred to Mancallinae resulted in taxonomic revision of the clade and the identification of three new species from the Miocene and Pliocene of California, USA. This monograph includes descriptions of new Mancallinae species and provides the first species-level phylogenetic hypothesis of Mancallinae relationships. Phylogenetic hypotheses were generated through the combined analysis of molecular sequence data and newly identified morphological character data for extant and extinct charadriiforms. The results of the combined phylogenetic analysis places hypotheses regarding the ethology and morphological convergence of Mancallinae to other flightless wing-propelled divers in phylogenetic context and facilitates comparisons between alcid paleodiversity and paleoclimatic events that have been hypothesized as drivers of alcid evolution.
Download or read book An Alphataxonomic Revision of Extinct and Extant Razorbills Aves Alcidae written by N. Adam Smith and published by Amer Ornithologists Union. This book was released on 2011 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The reliability of this method was tested using the same measurements taken from 13 extant alcid species and was found to be robust with respect to the accurate recovery of species-correlated groups of measurement data. With the exception of the similarly proportioned Alca carolinensis sp. nov. and A. olsoni sp. nov., the holotype specimens of all Alca species were recovered in separate, statistically supported clusters. These clusters of fossils were then evaluated for the presence of diagnostic morphological features, resulting in the recognition of three new Alca species. In contrast to previously described Alca species, two new species are described from holotype specimens that are associated partial skeletons. These associated specimens facilitated referral of isolated fossil material and phylogenetic estimation of Alca relationships.
Download or read book Avian Evolution written by Gerald Mayr and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-10-31 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge of the evolutionary history of birds has much improved in recent decades. Fossils from critical time periods are being described at unprecedented rates and modern phylogenetic analyses have provided a framework for the interrelationships of the extant groups. This book gives an overview of the avian fossil record and its paleobiological significance, and it is the only up-to-date textbook that covers both Mesozoic and more modern-type Cenozoic birds in some detail. The reader is introduced to key features of basal avians and the morphological transformations that have occurred in the evolution towards modern birds. An account of the Cenozoic fossil record sheds light on the biogeographic history of the extant avian groups and discusses fossils in the context of current phylogenetic hypotheses. This review of the evolutionary history of birds not only addresses students and established researchers, but it may also be a useful source of information for anyone else with an interest in the evolution of birds and a moderate background in biology and geology.
Download or read book Early Avian Evolution written by Jingmai Kathleen O’Connor and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-09-23 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Phylogeny of the Charadriiformes Aves written by Joseph G. Strauch and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The phylogeny of the Charadriiformes Aves written by and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Phylogenetic Relationships Among the Scolopaci Aves Charadriiformes Implications for the Study of Behavioural Evolution written by Rosemary Gibson and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unraveling the relationships between organisms and patterns of diversity is a central goal of evolutionary biology, pursuant to the aim of reconstructing the history of life. I constructed a hypothesis for species relationships in the shorebird suborder Scolopaci, and mapped onto this framework behavioural and life-history traits to infer their evolutionary history. Relationships were well-resolved and well-supported, although reliable resolution of certain nodes will require additional, independent sources of information. We estimated the Scolopaci ancestor to be monogamous, and care-giving through fledging, but ancestral breeding location and migration distance reconstructions were equivocal. Tests for correlations between parental care and other traits to explain extant species' trait diversity show that, contrary to previous reports, evolution of Scolopaci diversity was a complex process that cannot be explained by individual character correlations. This study provides important insights into Scolopaci and shorebird evolutionary history, and the general practice of inferring past processes from phylogenetic hypotheses.
Download or read book Charadriiformes Suborder Alcae written by E. V. Kozlova and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Taxonomic and Anatomic Assessment of the Extinct Zygodactylidae Aves from the Green River Formation of Wyoming and Placement of Zygodactylidae Within Aves written by Aj McLellan DeBee and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birds are the most diverse extant group of terrestrial vertebrates, and relationships amongst major extant and extinct avian lineages remain hotly debated. A clade of Aves which has received limited attention is the extinct Zygodactylidae, a species-rich group of perching birds that possess a foot with a retroverted fourth toe, an elongate tarsometatarsus and a large intermetacarpal process in the wing. Specimens currently included within Zygodactylidae previously were thought to be sister taxa to songbirds (Passeriformes) or woodpeckers and allies (Piciformes). Zygodactylids were most abundant during the Eocene in North America and Europe and persisted to the Early Miocene. Five exceptionally preserved fossils from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming are described, and provide insights into the interrelationships of zygodactylid taxa and the position of the clade within Aves. In an attempt to resolve systematic relationships within zygodactylids, and the position of the clade within Aves, I conducted two sets of phylogenetic analyses. The first focused on clarifying relationships within Zygodactylidae. Each taxon was evaluated for 37 morphological characters. Resulting strict consensus cladograms yield topologies in which two of the new Green River specimens are positioned in a clade within Zygodactylus, a taxon previously known only from the Early Oligocene and Early Miocene of Europe. The second set of analyses sought to assess which extant avian lineage is most closely allied with Zygodactylidae. Those analyses used a dataset of 135 characters evaluated for 57 species and a supraspecific terminal, Zygodactylidae. Scoring of Zygodactylidae was based on morphological observations from all described taxa within Zygodactylidae. The extant species sample was chosen to evaluate previously proposed hypotheses of relationships between Zygodactylidae and other avian clades and included songbirds, parrots and 43 species from the coraciiform-piciform clade (e.g., woodpeckers, galbulids, rollers and motmots). Outgroup species were iteratively swapped to determine if outgroup choice affected recovered estimates of zygodactylid relationships within Aves. Zygodactylidae is the sister taxon to songbirds in the resultant tree topologies. These results forward our understanding of the relationship between Zygodactylidae and Passeriformes within Aves.
Download or read book Phylogenetics of Modern Shorebirds charadriiformes Based on Phenotypic Evidence written by Bradley C. Livezey and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper provides phenotypic characters and states inferred to be informative of phylogenetic relationships among modern shorebirds (Charadriiformes), especially those exclusive of the comparatively aerial Stercorariidae, Laridae, and Rynchopidae, and the uniquely specialized wingpropelled diving Alcidae. The ingroup so delimited comprises 245 taxa, with three taxa (Turnix, Afrotis, and Himantornis) used to root trees. Characters comprise 528 features of the internal anatomy (primarily osteological), and 578 features of the integument (primarily plumages). Descriptions follow a consistent style and formal nomenclature, and include prior publications of relevance. This compilation forms the foundation for a species-level phylogenetic (cladistic) analysis of the Charadriiformes and a phylogenetic framework for the analysis of the diverse ecomorphological attributes of the Charadriiformes.
Download or read book Paleogene Fossil Birds written by Gerald Mayr and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the present book the Paleogene fossil record of birds is detailed for the first time on a worldwide scale. I have developed the idea for such a project for several years, and think that it is an appropriate moment to present a summary of our c- rent knowledge of the early evolution of modern birds. Meanwhile not only is there a confusing diversity of fossil taxa, but also significant progress has been made concerning an understanding of the higher-level phylogeny of extant birds. Hypotheses which were not considered even a decade ago are now well supported by independent analyses of different data. In several cases these group together morphologically very different avian groups and allow a better understanding of the mosaic character distribution found in Paleogene fossil birds. The book aims at bringing some of this information together, and many of the following data are based on first-hand examination of fossil specimens.
Download or read book Biology of Marine Birds written by E. A. Schreiber and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-08-16 with total page 706 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology of Marine Birds provides the only complete summary of information about marine birds ever published. It analyzes their breeding biology, ecology, taxonomy, evolution, fossil history, physiology, energetics, and conservation. The book covers four orders of marine birds in detail and includes two summary chapters that address the biology of shorebirds and wading birds and their lives in the marine environment. Summary tables give detailed information on various aspects of their life histories, breeding biology, physiology and energetics, and demography. It provides a guide to ornithologists and students for research projects.
Download or read book Evolution Ecology Conservation and Management of Hawaiian Birds written by J. Michael Scott and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Extinct Animals written by Ross Piper and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-03-20 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everyone is familiar with the dodo and the wooly mammoth, but how many people have heard of the scimitar cat and the Falkland Island fox? Extinct Animals portrays over 60 remarkable animals that have been lost forever during the relatively recent geological past. Each entry provides a concise discussion of the history of the animal—how and where it lived, and how it became extinct—as well as the scientific discovery and analysis of the creature. In addition, this work examines what led to extinction—from the role of cyclical swings in the Earth's climate to the spread of humans and their activities. Many scientists believe that we are in the middle of a mass extinction right now, caused by the human undermining of the earth's complex systems that support life. Understanding what caused the extinction of animals in the past may help us understand and prevent the extinction of species in the future. Extinct Animals examines the biology and history of some of the most interesting creatures that have ever lived, including: The American Terror Bird, which probably became extinct over 1 million years ago, who were massive predators, some of which were almost 10 feet tall; the Rocky Mountain Locust, last seen in 1902, formed the most immense animal aggregations ever known, with swarms estimated to include over 10 trillion insects; the Giant Ground Sloth, which was as large as an elephant; and the Neandertals, the first Europeans, which co-existed with prehistoric Homo sapiens. Extinct Animals includes illustrations—many created for the work—that help the reader visualize the extinct creature, and each entry concludes with a list of resources for those who wish to do further research.
Download or read book The Great Auk written by Errol Fuller and published by Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2003 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A seabird whose extinction was entirely the work of humankind, the last two recorded great auk's were killed on June 3, 1844. This book pays homage to this incredible species.
