Credit: Image courtesy of C. Albano
Tropical regions contain many of the world s species and scientists consider them hotspots due to their immense biological diversity. However, due to limited sampling our knowledge of tropical diversity remains incomplete, making it difficult for researchers to answer the fundamental questions of the mechanisms that drive and maintain diversity.
In a paper published December 10 in
Science, an international team of scientists has produced the first complete, species-level phylogeny of a major group of tropical birds known as the suboscine passerines. Passerines are the largest order of birds and among the most diverse orders of terrestrial vertebrates. The suboscine group includes more than 1,306 species and in the Neotropics they make up roughly one-third of the total avian population.
1300 species, 2400 genes, 21 museums, and 40 years: What it takes to address the tropical diversity paradox phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.