Modern evolutionary systematists often use molecular methods, such like mitochondrial DNA analysis, to differentiate between species and subspecies. These molecular methods are a flashy symbol of modern science cleverly exploited by media to draw interest of public and by laboratory scientists to draw attention of government funding agencies. However, current research indicates that the picture painted by these methods may be false, and only a creative combination of classical field-based ecology, museum-based systematics and DNA-based phylogenetics, can lead to right conclusions. In the last issue of the internationally acclaimed Ornithological Monographs (pages: 90-102), a team of biologists from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Allegheny College in USA, Seoul National University in South Korea and Centre for Ecological Studies in Poland demonstrate how modern evolutionary biology needs the "old-style" biology in order to explain evolution and systematics of birds.
The team composed of Jorge Perez-Eman, Ronald Mumme, and Piotr Jablonski studied mitochondrial DNA, plumage coloration and behavior of 10 subspecies of a Central and South American warbler the Slate-throated redstart, an inhabitant of montane forests. Mitochondrial DNA analyses indicated that evolution of these birds started over 70 millions years ago, in the Pleistocene, in northern and central areas of modern Mexico. First, the birds rapidly expanded southwards to South America diversifying into several genetically and morphologically different subspecies. Second, about 40-70 million years ago, when today's montane forest types existed at lower elevations, a rapid expansion started producing several morphologically distinct subspecies that differ in the coloration of their bellies from yellow, orange, through red, and in the tail pattern from small to large white patches, but do not differ in the mitochondrial DNA. The researchers believe that during this rapid expansion o
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| Contact: SangJin Lee snulbee@behecolpiotrsangim.org 822-880-8158 Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution at Seoul National University Source:Eurekalert |
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