Imperial College London
Portrait Picture

Prof Joseph Tobias

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park)

Professor of Biodiversity & Ecosystems
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 1059j.tobias Website

 
 
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Location

 

2.10KennedySilwood Park

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Drury:2018:10.1371/journal.pbio.2003563,
author = {Drury, JP and Tobias, JA and Burns, KJ and Mason, NA and Shultz, AJ and Morlon, H},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pbio.2003563},
journal = {PLoS Biology},
title = {Contrasting impacts of competition on ecological and social trait evolution in songbirds},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003563},
volume = {16},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Competition between closely related species has long been viewed as a powerful selective force that drives trait diversification, thereby generating phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary timescales. However, although the impact of interspecific competition has been documented in a handful of iconic insular radiations, most previous studies have focused on traits involved in resource use, and few have examined the role of competition across large, continental radiations. Thus, the extent to which broad-scale patterns of phenotypic diversity are shaped by competition remain largely unclear, particularly for social traits. Here, we estimate the effect of competition between interacting lineages by applying new phylogenetic models that account for such interactions to an exceptionally complete dataset of resource-use traits and social signaling traits for the entire radiation of tanagers (Aves, Thraupidae), the largest family of songbirds. We find that interspecific competition strongly influences the evolution of traits involved in resource use, with a weaker effect on plumage signals, and very little effect on song. Our results provide compelling evidence that interspecific exploitative competition contributes to ecological trait diversification among coexisting species, even in a large continental radiation. In comparison, signal traits mediating mate choice and social competition seem to diversify under different evolutionary models, including rapid diversification in the allopatric stage of speciation.
AU  - Drury,JP
AU  - Tobias,JA
AU  - Burns,KJ
AU  - Mason,NA
AU  - Shultz,AJ
AU  - Morlon,H
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003563
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 1544-9173
TI  - Contrasting impacts of competition on ecological and social trait evolution in songbirds
T2  - PLoS Biology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003563
UR  - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29385141
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/57278
VL  - 16
ER  -
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