Topic
White-eye
About: White-eye is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 19 publications have been published within this topic receiving 312 citations. The topic is also known as: white-eye.
Papers
TL;DR: In this paper, the white-eye (Zosterops) taxa of the southwest Indian Ocean were sampled from all principal continental lineages and a high dispersal capability was found, with at least two independent continental sources for white-eyes.
Abstract: Molecular phylogenetic hypotheses of species-rich lineages in regions where geological history can be reliably inferred may provide insights into the scale of processes driving diversification. Here we sample all extant or recently extinct white-eye (Zosterops) taxa of the southwest Indian Ocean, combined with samples from all principal continental lineages. Results support a high dispersal capability, with at least two independent continental sources for white-eyes of the region. An early (within 1.8 million years ago) expansion into the Indian Ocean may have originated either from Asia or Africa; the three resulting lineages show a disparate distribution consistent with considerable extinction following their arrival. Africa is supported as the origin of a later expansion into the region (within 1.2 million years ago). On two islands, a pair of Zosterops species derived from independent immigrations into the Indian Ocean co-occur or may have formerly co-occurred, providing strong support for their origin by double-island colonization rather than within-island (sympatric or microallopatric) speciation. On Mauritius and La Reunion, phylogenetic placement of sympatric white-eyes allow us to rule out a scenario in which independent within-island speciation occurred on both islands; one of the species pairs must have arisen by double colonization, while the other pair is likely to have arisen by the same mechanism. Long-distance immigration therefore appears to be responsible for much of the region's white-eye diversity. Independent immigrations into the region have resulted in lineages with mutually exclusive distributions and it seems likely that competition with congeneric species, rather than arrival frequency, may limit present-day diversity.
103 citations
TL;DR: The Reunion grey white-eye, Zosterops borbonicus as discussed by the authors, represents an extreme case of microgeographical plumage color variation in birds, with four distinct colour forms occupying different parts of this small island (2512 km2).
Abstract: The Reunion grey white-eye, Zosterops borbonicus, a passerine bird endemic to Reunion Island in the Mascarene archipelago, represents an extreme case of microgeographical plumage colour variation in birds, with four distinct colour forms occupying different parts of this small island (2512 km2). To understand whether such population differentiation may reflect low levels of dispersal and gene flow at a very small spatial scale, we examined population structure and gene flow by analysing variation at 11 microsatellite loci among four geographically close localities (<26 km apart) sampled within the distribution range of one of the colour forms, the brown-headed brown form. Our results revealed levels of genetic differentiation that are exceptionally high for birds at such a small spatial scale. This strong population structure appears to reflect low levels of historical and contemporary gene flow among populations, unless very close geographically (<10 km). Thus, we suggest that the Reunion grey white-eye shows an extremely reduced propensity to disperse, which is likely to be related to behavioural processes.
55 citations
TL;DR: This study aims to untangle multiple instances of confused taxonomic treatment in three large, widespread Asian wastebasket species complexes of white-eye, resulting in a net loss of two previously recognized species and a net gain of two newly recognized species, leading to significant taxonomic change but a lack of additional species-level diversity.
Abstract: White-eyes (Zosterops spp.) are a group of small passerines distributed across the Eastern Hemisphere that have become a textbook example of rapid speciation. However, traditional taxonomy has relied heavily on conservative plumage features to delimit white-eye species boundaries, resulting in several recent demonstrations of misclassification. Resolution of confused taxonomy is important in order to correctly delimit species and identify taxa which may require conservation, particularly in Asia where the songbird trade is decimating wild populations. In this study, we aim to untangle multiple instances of confused taxonomic treatment in three large, widespread Asian wastebasket species complexes of white-eye (Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus, Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus and Mountain White-eye Zosterops montanus) renowned for their conservative morphology. Using mitochondrial DNA from 173 individuals spanning 42 taxa, we uncovered extensive polyphyly in Z. palpebrosus and Z. japonicus and propose some radically revised species limits under which former members of Z. palpebrosus and Z. japonicus would be reassigned into four and two different species, respectively. The revised taxonomy results in a net loss of two previously recognized species and a net gain of two newly recognized species, leading to significant taxonomic change but a lack of additional species-level diversity. One of the newly elevated species, Zosterops melanurus from Java and Bali, is also the world’s most heavily traded songbird and requires urgent conservation attention.
37 citations
National University of Singapore1, Max Planck Society2, Indonesian Institute of Sciences3, Swedish Museum of Natural History4, Chinese Academy of Sciences5, University of California, Berkeley6, Wildlife Reserves Singapore7, University of Western Australia8, University of Southampton9, Jiangsu Normal University10, Syiah Kuala University11, Tianjin Medical University12
TL;DR: The white-eye genus Zosterops is a classical example of a 'great speciator', comprising c. 100 species from across the Old World, most of them insular as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Archipelagoes serve as important 'natural laboratories' which facilitate the study of island radiations and contribute to the understanding of evolutionary processes. The white-eye genus Zosterops is a classical example of a 'great speciator', comprising c. 100 species from across the Old World, most of them insular. We achieved an extensive geographic DNA sampling of Zosterops by using historical specimens and recently collected samples. Using over 700 genome-wide loci in conjunction with coalescent species tree methods and gene flow detection approaches, we untangled the reticulated evolutionary history of Zosterops, which comprises three main clades centered in Indo-Africa, Asia, and Australasia, respectively. Genetic introgression between species permeates the Zosterops phylogeny, regardless of how distantly related species are. Crucially, we identified the Indonesian archipelago, and specifically Borneo, as the major center of diversity and the only area where all three main clades overlap, attesting to the evolutionary importance of this region.
20 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |