- I am evolutionary biologist and ornithologist with long experience from fieldwork, especially in South America, Afric... moreI am evolutionary biologist and ornithologist with long experience from fieldwork, especially in South America, Africa, Australasia and Northern Europe, and with analytic work where information on geographical distributions and community structure is combined with large phylogenies.edit
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Research Interests: Biology, Diet, Systematics, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, and 4 moreToxicity, Animals, New Guinea, and Passeriformes
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... patterns of various taxa are not strongly congruent (eg Crowe 1990; Ryti 1992; Siegfried & Brown 1992; Turpie & Crowe 1994; Lombard 1995; Gelderblom et ... Forest Soricidea (shrews) and Megachiroptera... more
... patterns of various taxa are not strongly congruent (eg Crowe 1990; Ryti 1992; Siegfried & Brown 1992; Turpie & Crowe 1994; Lombard 1995; Gelderblom et ... Forest Soricidea (shrews) and Megachiroptera (fruit bats) were defined by Rainer Hutterer and Dieter Kock respectively. ...
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The typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) form a monophyletic and diverse family of suboscine passerines that inhabit neotropical forests. However, the phylogenetic relationships within this assemblage are poorly understood. Herein, we... more
The typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) form a monophyletic and diverse family of suboscine passerines that inhabit neotropical forests. However, the phylogenetic relationships within this assemblage are poorly understood. Herein, we present a hypothesis of the generic relationships of this group based on Bayesian inference analyses of two nuclear introns and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The level of phylogenetic congruence between the individual genes has been investigated utilizing Bayes factors. We also explore how changes in the substitution models affected the observed incongruence between partitions of our data set. The phylogenetic analysis supports both novel relationships, as well as traditional groupings. Among the more interesting novel relationship suggested is that the Terenura antwrens, the wing-banded antbird (Myrmornis torquata), the spot-winged antshrike (Pygiptila stellaris) and the russet antshrike (Thamnistes anabatinus) are sisters to all other typical ant...
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Molecular Evolution, Biological Sciences, and 14 moreBayesian Inference, Phylogeny, Sequence alignment, Markov chains, Animals, Phylogenetic analysis, Introns, Myoglobin, Convergent Evolution, Cytochrome B Gene, Passeriformes, Base Sequence, Bayes Theorem, and Monte Carlo Method
The forest batis, Batis mixta, is a common bird of the forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and in some adjacent montane and coastal forests. Through new collecting efforts in most of this range we documented a well-marked... more
The forest batis, Batis mixta, is a common bird of the forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and in some adjacent montane and coastal forests. Through new collecting efforts in most of this range we documented a well-marked change in morphology in the middle of the range. Supplementary genetic studies of the historical population structure suggest connectivity among
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Based on some general similarities in feeding adaptations, a large number of Old World passerine birds were in the past lumped in one broad family, the Sylviidae. Recent molecular studies, starting with the DNA–DNA hybridization work by... more
Based on some general similarities in feeding adaptations, a large number of Old World passerine birds were in the past lumped in one broad family, the Sylviidae. Recent molecular studies, starting with the DNA–DNA hybridization work by Sibley et al. [Sibley, C.G., Ahlquist, J.E., 1990. Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution, Yale University Press, New Haven,
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Molecular Evolution, Bayesian Inference, and 17 morePhylogeny, Mitochondrial DNA, Maximum Likelihood, Animals, Parsimony, DNA hybridization, Old World, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Molecular phylogenetics, Introns, Myoglobin, Cell nucleus, Nesting Behavior, Passeriformes, Species Specificity, DNA sequence, and Molecular Sequence Data
The African forest robins (akalats) of the genus Sheppardia are represented by eight forest-dwelling species with restricted distributions in tropical Africa. All but three are strictly montane, inhabiting isolated highland areas in... more
The African forest robins (akalats) of the genus Sheppardia are represented by eight forest-dwelling species with restricted distributions in tropical Africa. All but three are strictly montane, inhabiting isolated highland areas in eastern and western Africa. Due to their subtle plumage variation and almost wholly allopatric distribution, determining systematic relationships based upon morphology has proven difficult. However, akalats, due to
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Molecular Systematics, Africa, and 18 moreMolecular Evolution, Biogeography, Biodiversity, Sequence Analysis, Phylogeny, mtDNA, Mitochondrial DNA, Mutation, Animals, Tropical forest, Songbirds, Evolutionary History, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Population expansion, Genetic variation, Codon, Vegetation Change, and Forest birds
The African bush-shrikes and helmet-shrikes (Malaconotidae sensu [A Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, third ed., Helm Editions, London, 2003]) include 10 genera and 52 species of predatory passerine birds for which monophyly,... more
The African bush-shrikes and helmet-shrikes (Malaconotidae sensu [A Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, third ed., Helm Editions, London, 2003]) include 10 genera and 52 species of predatory passerine birds for which monophyly, sister-group, and inter-generic relationships are disputed. To resolve their relationships, we analyzed 2313bp of sequence data obtained from two nuclear introns (myoglobin intron-2, β-fibrinogen intron-5)
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The African genus Hyliota includes three or four species of warbler-like birds of uncertain phylogenetic affinities, as it has historically been placed in different avian families that are now known to represent unrelated lineages:... more
The African genus Hyliota includes three or four species of warbler-like birds of uncertain phylogenetic affinities, as it has historically been placed in different avian families that are now known to represent unrelated lineages: Malaconotidae (bush-shrikes), Platysteiridae (batises and wattle-eyes), Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers) and Sylviidae (Old-World Warblers). To assess the affinities of Hyliota we sequenced a mitochondrial protein-coding gene
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Gene Flow, Africa, Multidisciplinary, Plasmodium, and 21 morePhylogeny, Europe, Animals, Animal migration, Host-parasite interactions, Songbirds, Endemic Diseases, Natural Sciences, PLoS one, Sympatric Speciation, Reproductive Isolation, Life-Form, Passeriformes, Protozoan Proteins, CERATOPOGONIDAE, Species Specificity, Base Sequence, Haemosporida, Host Shift, Insect Vectors, and Molecular Sequence Data
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Research Interests: Conservation, Bias, Risk assessment, Kenya, Phylogeny, and 3 moreEcosystems, Extinction, and Risk Assessment
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Geography, Demography, and 19 morePhylogeny, Mitochondrial DNA, Sequence alignment, Animals, Molecular phylogeny, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Oceania, Species Distribution, Molecular phylogenetics, New Guinea, Columbidae, Oceanic Islands, Species Specificity, Base Sequence, Plate tectonic, Bayes Theorem, Likelihood Functions, Pigeon, and Molecular Sequence Data
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Bayesian Inference, Phylogeny, and 12 moreMitochondrial DNA, Maximum Likelihood, Animals, Color Appearance, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Morphological Characters, Introns, Cell nucleus, Passeriformes, Bayes Theorem, Likelihood Functions, and Molecular Sequence Data
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Birds are the most species-rich class of tetrapod vertebrates and have wide relevance across many research fields. We explored bird macroevolution using full genomes from 48 avian species representing all major extant clades. The avian... more
Birds are the most species-rich class of tetrapod vertebrates and have wide relevance across many research fields. We explored bird macroevolution using full genomes from 48 avian species representing all major extant clades. The avian genome is principally characterized by its constrained size, which predominantly arose because of lineage-specific erosion of repetitive elements, large segmental deletions, and gene loss. Avian genomes furthermore show a remarkably high degree of evolutionary stasis at the levels of nucleotide sequence, gene synteny, and chromosomal structure. Despite this pattern of conservation, we detected many non-neutral evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes and noncoding regions. These analyses reveal that pan-avian genomic diversity covaries with adaptations to different lifestyles and convergent evolution of traits.
Research Interests: Genomics, Phylogenetics, Reproduction, Molecular Evolution, Comparative Genomics, and 24 moreAdaptation, Science, Diet, Evolution, Biodiversity, Avian Biology, Multidisciplinary, Avian phylogenetics, Phylogenomics, Phylogeny, Cretaceous, Birds, Female, Animals, Male, Aves, Genome, Biological evolution, Avian taxonomy, Genes, Genetic variation, Synteny, Bird Genomes, and Avian Evolution
To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods created to handle genome-scale data. We recovered a highly... more
To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods created to handle genome-scale data. We recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister or close relationships. We identified the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups we named Passerea and Columbea, representing independent lineages of diverse and convergently evolved land and water bird species. Among Passerea, we infer the common ancestor of core landbirds to have been an apex predator and confirm independent gains of vocal learning. Among Columbea, we identify pigeons and flamingoes as belonging to sister clades. Even with whole genomes, some of the earliest branches in Neoaves proved challenging to resolve, which was best explained by massive protein-coding sequence convergence and high levels of incomplete lineage sorting that occurred during a rapid radiation after the Cr...
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Research Interests: Aves and African Birds
... Molecular phylogenetic analysis of all members of the genus Elminia confirms their presence within the Stenostiridae clade. Billy Nguembock,; Jon Fjeldså,; Corinne Cruaud,; Eric Pasquet. Article first published online: 17 JUL 2008.... more
... Molecular phylogenetic analysis of all members of the genus Elminia confirms their presence within the Stenostiridae clade. Billy Nguembock,; Jon Fjeldså,; Corinne Cruaud,; Eric Pasquet. Article first published online: 17 JUL 2008. DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2008.00344.x. ...
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The Pycnonotidae (bulbuls and greenbuls) comprise approximately 130 species and are widely distributed across Africa and Asia, mainly in evergreen thickets and forest. Recent molecular findings suggest a basal split between the African... more
The Pycnonotidae (bulbuls and greenbuls) comprise approximately 130 species and are widely distributed across Africa and Asia, mainly in evergreen thickets and forest. Recent molecular findings suggest a basal split between the African and the Asian species, although the three African Pycnonotus species are part of the Asian radiation and represent a relative recent immigration to Africa. In this study we investigate the phylogenetic relationships within the African clade, which with the exclusion of Pycnonotus contains approximately 50 species, of which the majority are placed in three large genera Andropadus , Phyllastrephus and Chlorocichla. We use three nuclear markers (myoglobin intron 2, ODC introns 6 and 7 along with intervening exon 7, and β-fibrinogen intron 5), together encompassing 2072 aligned positions, to infer the relationships within the African clade. The resulting tree is generally well supported and indicates that none of the three largest currently recognized genera are monophyletic. For instance, the species included in Andropadus represent three different clades that are not each other's closest relatives. The montane species currently placed in that genus form a strongly supported clade, which is sister to Ixonotus , Thescelocichla, Baeopogon and Chlorocichla , although within this clade the genus Chlorocichla is polyphyletic. The remaining Andropadus species fall into two groups, one of these with A. importunus and A. gracilirostris , which along with Calyptocichla serina form a basal branch in the African greenbul radiation. In support of some previous studies the Leaf-love (Pyrrhurus scandens) is placed within Phyllastrephus. We also propose a new classification that reflects the phylogenetic relationships among African greenbuls.
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Page 1. Oryx Vol 38 No 1 January 2004 © 2004 FFI, Oryx, 38(1), 1725 DOI: 10.1017/S0030605304000043 Printed in the United Kingdom 17 Abstract The establishment of protected areas for wildlife conservation in Africa was ...