[dinosaur] Avian feather lice after K-Pg extinction + avian egg and nest evolution

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

Avian-related papers:

Free pdf:

Robert S. de Moya, Julie M. Allen, Andrew D. Sweet, Kimberly K. O. Walden,
Ricardo L. Palma, Vincent S. Smith, Stephen L. Cameron, Michel P. Valim,
Terry D. Galloway, Jason D. Weckstein & Kevin P. Johnson (2019)
Extensive host-switching of avian feather lice following the
Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event.
Communications Biology  2, Article number: 445
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1038_s42003-2D019-2D0689-2D7&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=KkhjcyyqDHFIiPUiHJx1-ZQE58kHHR_OflVnhHSKwjI&s=-ooC8mjcyX3tfXnMPoG6Dr1TiMy53UYKd_b27Wiosj0&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nature.com_articles_s42003-2D019-2D0689-2D7&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=KkhjcyyqDHFIiPUiHJx1-ZQE58kHHR_OflVnhHSKwjI&s=A7ErHZNSwf3FJvMl7Xkuvis4TitpYaX6OjJL14kZJBQ&e= 

Free pdf:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nature.com_articles_s42003-2D019-2D0689-2D7.pdf&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=KkhjcyyqDHFIiPUiHJx1-ZQE58kHHR_OflVnhHSKwjI&s=HGMG1SXE-7PwY6nCs1ZCAqCEQArMz0wUCsvpsFxl1sc&e= 



Nearly all lineages of birds host parasitic feather lice. Based on recent
phylogenomic studies, the three major lineages of modern birds diverged
from each other before the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction
event. In contrast, studies of the phylogeny of feather lice on birds,
indicate that these parasites diversified largely after this event.
However, these studies were unable to reconstruct the ancestral avian host
lineage for feather lice. Here we use genome sequences of a broad diversity
of lice to reconstruct a phylogeny based on 1,075 genes. By comparing this
louse evolutionary tree to the avian host tree, we show that feather lice
began diversifying on the common ancestor of waterfowl and landfowl, then
radiated onto other avian lineages by extensive host-switching. Dating
analyses and cophylogenetic comparisons revealed that two of three lineages
of birds that diverged before the K-Pg boundary acquired their feather lice
after this event via host-switching.

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Jenő Nagy, Mark E. Hauber, Ian R. Hartley & Mark C. Mainwaring (2019)
Correlated evolution of nest and egg characteristics in birds.
Animal Behaviour 158: 211-225
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.anbehav.2019.10.015&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=KkhjcyyqDHFIiPUiHJx1-ZQE58kHHR_OflVnhHSKwjI&s=vVX6YogmVPfoImsf61hb0ce6AXc1PdpVeaROucD37_s&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sciencedirect.com_science_article_pii_S0003347219303471&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=KkhjcyyqDHFIiPUiHJx1-ZQE58kHHR_OflVnhHSKwjI&s=bg_H-hLFZPpHIhIpbtf2RQ4COIXlMKXe54UMhziQ2fI&e= 

Highlights

We examined correlated evolution between nest and egg characteristics in
birds.
The ancestral state of nests was semi-open with nest sites becoming more
open.
Open nests with variable clutch sizes were ancestral and clutch sizes have
declined.
Eggs have evolved to be smaller and lighter in open, but not closed,
nesting species.
There is a notable level of correlated evolution between nest and egg
characteristics.

Abstract

Correlational selection is defined as selection for adaptive character
combinations, and it therefore favours combinations of coevolved traits via
phenotypic integration. Whereas the evolution of avian nest-building and
egg-laying characteristics are well understood, their correlated dynamics
remain overlooked. Here, we examined patterns of correlated evolution
between nest, egg and clutch characteristics in 855 species of birds from
90 families, representing nearly 9% and 33% of avian species- and
family-level diversity. We show that the ancestral state of birds’ nests
was semi-open with nest sites having since become progressively more open
over time. Furthermore, nest characteristics appear to have influenced
egg-laying patterns in that while semi-open nests with variable clutch
sizes were probably ancestral, clutch sizes have declined over evolutionary
time in both open and closed nests. Ancestrally, avian eggs were also
large, heavy and either elliptic or round, and there have been high
transition rates from elliptic to round eggs in open nests and vice versa
in closed nests. Ancestrally, both unpigmented (white) and pigmented
(blue–brown) eggs were laid in open nests, although blue–brown eggs have
transitioned more to white over time in open and closed nests,
independently. We conclude that there has been a remarkable level of
correlated evolution between the nest and egg characteristics of birds,
which supports scenarios of correlational selection on both of these
extended avian phenotypes.