The network of relationships existing between the species of birds over time had been one of the most complicated evolutionary data there is. Now, researchers said that they are close to finally completing the comprehensive bird family tree with the release of a genome-wide information involving 198 living species.
Researchers from the Yale University, Florida State University, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Cornell University sheds new light on the evolution of modern birds from three dinosaur lineages to thrive in the great extinction that transpired some 66 million years ago.
The authors focused on comprehending the avian group called Neoaves, which includes approximately 90 percent of all birds, except birds who cannot fly such as ostriches, chickens and ducks.
Through the study, it was found that the majority of the water birds have close associations, implicating that they came out to the world in aquatic places after the end of the dinosaurs. This notion refutes the previously believed idea that they evolved from numerous individual lineages.
"It means that all of these aquatic birds may have evolved from a single common ancestor," said Jacob Berv from Cornell University. He added that this contradicts previous beliefs that these species individually evolve a water ecology several times.
The researchers were also able to discover other things such as the evolution of the vision-dependent hummingbirds from nocturnal species. Cardinal and woodpecker seen in gardens were also found to apparently have a predatory type of ancestor comparable to hawks.
Rick Prum, the senior author of the study and a professor of ornithology, ecology and evolutionary biology, said that this signifies the possible end of avian evolutionary theories. He estimated that the family tree of birds will be completed over the next five or 10 years.
Having a complete avian tree of life will enable scientists to accurately study the numerous queries in avian history evolution.
Prum said the experts can begin to analyze the patterns and processes that resulted in the spectacular differences of living birds once the family tree has been completed. "That's when the fun really begins," he added.
The study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Photo: Takashi Hososhima | Flickr
