Topic
Forest thrush
About: Forest thrush is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7 publications have been published within this topic receiving 61 citations. The topic is also known as: Turdus lherminieri.
Papers
20 Jan 2016
TL;DR: Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that all four groups diverged at least a few million years ago, and identify Alpine Thrush and the putative “Yunnan Thrush” as sisters, and the two forest taxa as sisters.
Abstract: The Plain-backed Thrush Zoothera mollissima breeds in the Himalayas and mountains of central China. It was long considered conspecific with the Long-tailed Thrush Zoothera dixoni, until these were shown to be broadly sympatric. We revise the Z. mollissima–Z. dixoni complex by integrating morphological, acoustic, genetic (two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers), ecological and distributional datasets. In earlier field observations, we noted two very different song types of “Plain-backed” Thrush segregated by breeding habitat and elevation. Further integrative analyses congruently identify three groups: an alpine breeder in the Himalayas and Sichuan, China (“Alpine Thrush”); a forest breeder in the eastern Himalayas and northwest Yunnan (at least), China (“Himalayan Forest Thrush”); and a forest breeder in central Sichuan (“Sichuan Forest Thrush”). Alpine and Himalayan Forest Thrushes are broadly sympatric, but segregated by habitat and altitude, and the same is probably true also for Alpine and Sichuan Forest Thrushes. These three groups differ markedly in morphology and songs. In addition, DNA sequence data from three non-breeding specimens from Yunnan indicate that yet another lineage exists (“Yunnan Thrush”). However, we find no consistent morphological differences from Alpine Thrush, and its breeding range is unknown. Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that all four groups diverged at least a few million years ago, and identify Alpine Thrush and the putative “Yunnan Thrush” as sisters, and the two forest taxa as sisters. Cytochrome b divergences among the four Z. mollissima sensu lato (s.l.) clades are similar to those between any of them and Z. dixoni, and exceed that between the two congeneric outgroup species. We lectotypify the name Oreocincla rostrata Hodgson, 1845 with the Z. mollissima sensu stricto (s.s.) specimen long considered its type. No available name unambiguously pertains to the Himalayan Forest Thrush. The Plain-backed Thrush Z. mollissima s.l. comprises at least three species: Alpine Thrush Z. mollissima s.s., with a widespread alpine breeding distribution; Sichuan Forest Thrush Z. griseiceps, breeding in central Sichuan forests; and Himalayan Forest Thrush, breeding in the eastern Himalayas and northwest Yunnan (at least), which is described herein as a new species. “Yunnan Thrush” requires further study.
35 citations
TL;DR: An intriguing pattern of differentiation at a very small spatial scale in the forest thrush, a bird species endemic to the Lesser Antilles, suggests that the ongoing habitat fragmentation, especially in tropical forests, may have a deeper impact than previously thought on avian populations.
Abstract: Mobile organisms are expected to show population differentiation only over fairly large geographical distances. However, there is growing evidence of discrepancy between dispersal potential and realized gene flow. Here we report an intriguing pattern of differentiation at a very small spatial scale in the forest thrush (Turdus lherminieri), a bird species endemic to the Lesser Antilles. Analysis of 331 individuals from 17 sampling sites distributed over three islands revealed a clear morphological and genetic differentiation between these islands isolated by 40–50 km. More surprisingly, we found that the phenotypic divergence between the two geographic zones of the island of Guadeloupe was associated with a very strong genetic differentiation (Fst from 0.073–0.153), making this pattern a remarkable case in birds given the very small spatial scale considered. Molecular data (mitochondrial control region sequences and microsatellite genotypes) suggest that this strong differentiation could have occurred in situ, although alternative hypotheses cannot be fully discarded. This study suggests that the ongoing habitat fragmentation, especially in tropical forests, may have a deeper impact than previously thought on avian populations.
25 citations
TL;DR: A strong micro-geographic differentiation between Forest thrush populations is detected for the body-size descriptor but not for the feather-size descriptors, providing a first highlight to the high local variability of this species.
Abstract: Spatial differentiation in avian models has been extensively studied at a coarse scale for both theoretical and conservation purposes. Yet, studies at a finer spatial scale are also particularly relevant in birds because their dispersal ability may be much more reduced than expected. In the Forest Thrush Turdus lherminieri, we studied morphological characters commonly used to assess differentiation because they mirror both demographic and selective processes. The Forest Thrush is an endemic and vulnerable Antillean bird species which has dramatically declined in the last 15 years, and whose population functioning and structure remain unknown. We compared birds from 11 sites in Guadeloupe, which were distributed from 2 to 42 km apart over the two main geographic zones of the island (i.e. Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre). Using two synthetic descriptors (for body size and feather size), we detected a strong micro-geographic differentiation between Forest thrush populations for the body-size descriptor but not for the feather-size descriptor. Both males and females were significantly larger in Basse-Terre than in Grande-Terre despite the fine geographic scale. Several hypotheses could explain these results: (i) geographic isolation and differentiation caused by (1)absence of gene flow, (2) phenotypic plasticity, or (3) divergence with gene flow. Although further investigation is needed to identify the exact process generating phenotypic divergence, our study provides a first highlight to the high local variability of this species.
8 citations
TL;DR: The Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) has recently expanded its breeding range south along the spine of the Appalachians into the spruce-fir forests of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: . Guilds of species that share ecological similarities or recent ancestors are often the basis of studies concerning habitat partitioning. An interesting result of many of these studies is that means of partitioning in one area of sympatry may be different from those in disjunct areas of overlap. Here, we quantified the differences in habitat preference of two forest thrushes in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) has recently expanded its breeding range south along the spine of the Appalachians into the spruce—fir forests of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. There, it shares breeding habitat with the congeneric Veery (C. fuscescens), previously the only forest thrush breeding in this area. We used several multivariate analyses of habitat variables within both species' territories to understand how these species partition the available habitat and to test if these means of partitioning are similar to those found by other studies. We calculated the niche...
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted three repeat point count surveys and measured forest structure and habitat at each of 88 randomly placed locations in the largest forest area remaining on the island of Montserrat.
Abstract: Habitat loss, the primary driver for loss of biodiversity worldwide, is of special concern for species that have a small area of occurrence, such as those restricted to islands. The Forest Thrush Turdus lherminieri is a ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) species endemic to four islands in the Caribbean, and its population has declined dramatically over the past 15 years. Because this decline is poorly understood, we studied its habitat associations on Montserrat. We conducted three repeat point count surveys and measured forest structure and habitat at each of 88 randomly placed locations in the largest forest area remaining on the island. We related Forest Thrush abundance to habitat using binomial mixture models that account for imperfect detection. Detection probability was a function of survey time, survey date, location of the survey point, and wind. Local habitat structure had the greatest influence on Forest Thrush abundance, with birds being more abundant at mid-elevations under closed canopies. We conclude that the Forest Thrush prefers mature mesic and wet forests on Montserrat. Assuming similar habitat selection in the rest of its range, the species’s long-term future depends on good protection of these natural forests on all four islands where it occurs.
7 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 1950 | 1 |