The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation

Chira, A. M.; Cooney, C. R.; Bright, J. A.; Capp, E. J.R.; Hughes, E. C.; Moody, C. J.A.; Nouri, L. O.; Varley, Z. K.; Thomas, G. H.

Abstract

Competition for shared resources represents a fundamental driver of biological diversity. However, the tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in deep-time has been predominantly investigated using trait evolutionary models which assume that lineages evolve independently from each other. Consequently, the role of species interactions in driving macroevolutionary dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we quantify the prevalence for signatures of competition between related species in the evolution of ecomorphological traits across the bird radiation. We find that mechanistic trait models accounting for the effect of species interactions on phenotypic divergence provide the best fit for the data on at least one trait axis in 27 out of 59 clades ranging between 21 and 195 species. Where it occurs, the signature of competition generally coincides with positive species diversity-dependence, driven by the accumulation of lineages with similar ecologies, and we find scarce evidence for trait-dependent or negative diversity-dependent phenotypic evolution. Overall, our results suggest that the footprint of interspecific competition is often eroded in long-term patterns of phenotypic diversification, and that other selection pressures may predominantly shape ecomorphological diversity among extant species at macroevolutionary scales.

Citation

Chira, A. M., Cooney, C. R., Bright, J. A., Capp, E. J., Hughes, E. C., Moody, C. J., Nouri, L. O., Varley, Z. K., & Thomas, G. H. (2020). The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938), Article 20201585. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1585

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 16, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 11, 2020
• Publication Date: Nov 11, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jan 12, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 13, 2021
• Journal: Proceedings. Biological sciences
• Print ISSN: 0962-8452
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-2954
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 287
• Issue: 1938
• Article Number: 20201585
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1585
• Keywords: Ecomorphological trait evolution; Avian diversification; Interspecific competition
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3664782
• Publisher URL: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.1585