2022-04-21 ワシントン大学セントルイス
飛行能力が彼らの成功の鍵であった一方で、セントルイスのワシントン大学の新しい研究は、大きな体と大きな脳が、カラスとカラスが占拠した新しい気候で生き残るために重要な役割を果たしたことも示している。
この新しい研究は、4月21日発行の『Nature Communications』誌に掲載される。
<関連情報>
- https://source.wustl.edu/2022/04/brains-and-brawn-helped-crows-and-ravens-take-over-the-world/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29707-5
カラスとワタリガラスの地球規模での放射におけるニッチ拡大と適応的分岐 Niche expansion and adaptive divergence in the global radiation of crows and ravens
Joan Garcia-Porta,Daniel Sol,Matt Pennell,Ferran Sayol,Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou &Carlos A. Botero
Nature Communications Published: 21 April 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29707-5
Abstract
The processes that allow some lineages to diversify rapidly at a global scale remain poorly understood. Although earlier studies emphasized the importance of dispersal, global expansions expose populations to novel environments and may also require adaptation and diversification across new niches. In this study, we investigated the contributions of these processes to the global radiation of crows and ravens (genus Corvus). Combining a new phylogeny with comprehensive phenotypic and climatic data, we show that Corvus experienced a massive expansion of the climatic niche that was coupled with a substantial increase in the rates of species and phenotypic diversification. The initiation of these processes coincided with the evolution of traits that promoted dispersal and niche expansion. Our findings suggest that rapid global radiations may be better understood as processes in which high dispersal abilities synergise with traits that, like cognition, facilitate persistence in new environments.
