Papers by Vanessa Luzuriaga-Aveiga
Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened and yet the most biodiverse Neotropical ecosys... more Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened and yet the most biodiverse Neotropical ecosystems. However, current patterns of biological occupancy in these forests remain poorly studied. Here, we document the diversity, patterns of seasonal turnover and change of species composition over time of birds in a highly exploited but protected tropical dry forest of southwestern Ecuador, Bosque Protector Puyango. Using a combination of mist netting, song recording and direct observations, we surveyed the study site over a 2-month period of fieldwork during both the dry and rainy seasons. We then performed a literature review of the species reported in this site and compared the changes in composition over time using a historical survey. One hundred sixty-one species of birds belonging to 40 families were recorded inside the area. One hundred and six species were found in this survey and 55 were recovered from the literature. Seasonality did not significantly affect species abundance and richness; however, species dominance changed notably. Although the overall species richness of the site has been maintained, we found an overwhelming change of species composition during the last two decades in this forest. Our results show that this highly threatened forest still hosts a unique high avian diversity. Conservation actions should be encouraged in the region, motivating the local communities to develop non-extractive economic practices, such as birdwatching and ecotourism.
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Geographically connected species pairs with weakly differentiated genomes could either represent ... more Geographically connected species pairs with weakly differentiated genomes could either represent cases of genomic homogenization in progress or of incipient parapatric speciation. Discriminating between these processes is difficult because intermediate stages of either may produce weakly differentiated genomes that diverge at few locations. We used coalescent modelling applied to a genome-wide sample of SNPs to discriminate between speciation with gene flow and genomic homogenization in two phenotypically distinct but genomically weakly diverged species of elevationally replacing Ramphocelus tanagers, forming a hybrid zone in the Andean foothills. We found overwhelming support for a model of genomic homogenization following secondary contact. Simulating under this model suggested that our species pair was differentiated (FST = 0.30) at secondary contact but that most of the genome has rapidly homogenized during 254 Ky of high gene flow towards the present (FST = 0.02). Despite extensive genome-wide homogenization, plumage remains distinctive with a narrower than expected geographic cline width, indicating divergent selection on colour. We found two SNPs significantly associated with plumage colour, which retain moderately high FST. We conclude that the majority of the genome has fused, but that divergent selection on select loci probably maintains the geographically structured colour differences between these incipient species.
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Allopatric speciation, whereby lineages become separated by a geographic barrier and accumulate g... more Allopatric speciation, whereby lineages become separated by a geographic barrier and accumulate genetic differences that increase reproductive isolation ("RI" hereafter), is one of the most widely accepted models of speciation (Coyne, 1992, 1994). While the potential for allopatry to initiate speciation is nearly universally accepted, the geographic context and evolutionary forces that lead to the completion of RI during the final stages of speciation remain controversial (Coyne, 1994; Hoskin et al., 2005; Kulmuni et al., 2020). On the one hand, lineages geographically isolated for sufficiently long periods of time with little or no gene flow may eventually accumulate complete RI, allowing for sympatric coexistence upon secondary contact
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Elevational differentiation accelerates trait evolution but not speciation rates in Amazonian birds, 2019
The importance of ecologically-mediated divergent selection in accelerating trait evolution has b... more The importance of ecologically-mediated divergent selection in accelerating trait evolution has been poorly studied in the most species-rich biome of the planet, the continental Neotropics. We performed a macroevolutionary analyses of trait divergence and diversification rates across closely-related pairs of Andean and Amazonian passerine birds, to assess whether the difference in elevational range separating species pairs – as proxy for the degree of ecological divergence – influences the speed of trait evolution and diversification rates. We found that elevational differentiation is associated with faster divergence of song frequency, a trait important for premating isolation, and several morphological traits, which may contribute to extrinsic postmating isolation. However, we found no evidence for elevational differentiation accelerating recent speciation rates, possibly due to early bursts of diversification during the uplift of the eastern Andes. Together, our results suggest that ecological differentiation may speed up trait evolution, but not diversification of Neotropical birds.
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Papers by Vanessa Luzuriaga-Aveiga