Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna

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dc.contributor.authorFuchs, Jeromeen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorPons, Jean-Marcen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorGoodman, Stevenen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBretagnolle, Vincenten_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMelo, Martimen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBowie, Raurien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCurrie, Daviden_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSafford, Rogeren_ZA
dc.contributor.authorVirani, Muniren_ZA
dc.contributor.authorThomsett, Simonen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHija, Alawien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCruaud, Corinneen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorPasquet, Ericen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-28T07:02:59Z
dc.date.available2015-10-28T07:02:59Z
dc.date.issued2008en_ZA
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND:The island of Madagascar and surrounding volcanic and coralline islands are considered to form a biodiversity hotspot with large numbers of unique taxa. The origin of this endemic fauna can be explained by two different factors: vicariance or over-water-dispersal. Deciphering which factor explains the current distributional pattern of a given taxonomic group requires robust phylogenies as well as estimates of divergence times. The lineage of Indian Ocean scops-owls (Otus: Strigidae) includes six or seven species that are endemic to Madagascar and portions of the Comoros and Seychelles archipelagos; little is known about the species limits, biogeographic affinities and relationships to each other. In the present study, using DNA sequence data gathered from six loci, we examine the biogeographic history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls. We also compare the pattern and timing of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls with divergence times already proposed for other bird taxa. RESULTS: Our analyses revealed that Indian Ocean islands scops-owls do not form a monophyletic assemblage: the Seychelles Otus insularis is genetically closer to the South-East Asian endemic O. sunia than to species from the Comoros and Madagascar. The Pemba Scops-owls O. pembaensis, often considered closely related to, if not conspecific with O. rutilus of Madagascar, is instead closely related to the African mainland O. senegalensis. Relationships among the Indian Ocean taxa from the Comoros and Madagascar are unresolved, despite the analysis of over 4000 bp, suggesting a diversification burst after the initial colonization event. We also highlight one case of putative back-colonization to the Asian mainland from an island ancestor (O. sunia). Our divergence date estimates, using a Bayesian relaxed clock method, suggest that all these events occurred during the last 3.6 myr; albeit colonization of the Indian Ocean islands were not synchronous, O. pembaensis diverged from O. senegalensis about 1.7 mya while species from Madagascar and the Comoro diverged from their continental sister-group about 3.6 mya. We highlight that our estimates coincide with estimates of diversification from other bird lineages. CONCLUSION: Our analyses revealed the occurrence of multiple synchronous colonization events of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls, at a time when faunistic exchanges involving Madagascar was common as a result of lowered sea-level that would have allowed the formation of stepping-stone islands. Patterns of diversification that emerged from the scops-owls data are: 1) a star-like pattern concerning the order of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands and 2) the high genetic distinctiveness among all Indian Ocean taxa, reinforcing their recognition as distinct species.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationFuchs, J., Pons, J., Goodman, S., Bretagnolle, V., Melo, M., Bowie, R., ... Pasquet, E. (2008). Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna. <i>BMC Evolutionary Biology</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14461en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationFuchs, Jerome, Jean-Marc Pons, Steven Goodman, Vincent Bretagnolle, Martim Melo, Rauri Bowie, David Currie, et al "Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna." <i>BMC Evolutionary Biology</i> (2008) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14461en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationFuchs, J., Pons, J. M., Goodman, S. M., Bretagnolle, V., Melo, M., Bowie, R. C., ... & Pasquet, E. (2008). Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8(1), 197.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Fuchs, Jerome AU - Pons, Jean-Marc AU - Goodman, Steven AU - Bretagnolle, Vincent AU - Melo, Martim AU - Bowie, Rauri AU - Currie, David AU - Safford, Roger AU - Virani, Munir AU - Thomsett, Simon AU - Hija, Alawi AU - Cruaud, Corinne AU - Pasquet, Eric AB - BACKGROUND:The island of Madagascar and surrounding volcanic and coralline islands are considered to form a biodiversity hotspot with large numbers of unique taxa. The origin of this endemic fauna can be explained by two different factors: vicariance or over-water-dispersal. Deciphering which factor explains the current distributional pattern of a given taxonomic group requires robust phylogenies as well as estimates of divergence times. The lineage of Indian Ocean scops-owls (Otus: Strigidae) includes six or seven species that are endemic to Madagascar and portions of the Comoros and Seychelles archipelagos; little is known about the species limits, biogeographic affinities and relationships to each other. In the present study, using DNA sequence data gathered from six loci, we examine the biogeographic history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls. We also compare the pattern and timing of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls with divergence times already proposed for other bird taxa. RESULTS: Our analyses revealed that Indian Ocean islands scops-owls do not form a monophyletic assemblage: the Seychelles Otus insularis is genetically closer to the South-East Asian endemic O. sunia than to species from the Comoros and Madagascar. The Pemba Scops-owls O. pembaensis, often considered closely related to, if not conspecific with O. rutilus of Madagascar, is instead closely related to the African mainland O. senegalensis. Relationships among the Indian Ocean taxa from the Comoros and Madagascar are unresolved, despite the analysis of over 4000 bp, suggesting a diversification burst after the initial colonization event. We also highlight one case of putative back-colonization to the Asian mainland from an island ancestor (O. sunia). Our divergence date estimates, using a Bayesian relaxed clock method, suggest that all these events occurred during the last 3.6 myr; albeit colonization of the Indian Ocean islands were not synchronous, O. pembaensis diverged from O. senegalensis about 1.7 mya while species from Madagascar and the Comoro diverged from their continental sister-group about 3.6 mya. We highlight that our estimates coincide with estimates of diversification from other bird lineages. CONCLUSION: Our analyses revealed the occurrence of multiple synchronous colonization events of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls, at a time when faunistic exchanges involving Madagascar was common as a result of lowered sea-level that would have allowed the formation of stepping-stone islands. Patterns of diversification that emerged from the scops-owls data are: 1) a star-like pattern concerning the order of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands and 2) the high genetic distinctiveness among all Indian Ocean taxa, reinforcing their recognition as distinct species. DA - 2008 DB - OpenUCT DO - 10.1186/1471-2148-8-197 DP - University of Cape Town J1 - BMC Evolutionary Biology LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2008 T1 - Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna TI - Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14461 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14461
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-8-197
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationFuchs J, Pons J, Goodman S, Bretagnolle V, Melo M, Bowie R, et al. Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2008; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14461.en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisherBioMed Central Ltden_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentPercy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rightsThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licenseen_ZA
dc.rights.holder2008 Fuchs et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.en_ZA
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0en_ZA
dc.sourceBMC Evolutionary Biologyen_ZA
dc.source.urihttp://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcevolbiol/en_ZA
dc.subject.otherOrnithologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherEvolutionary Biologyen_ZA
dc.titleTracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifaunaen_ZA
dc.typeJournal Articleen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceArticleen_ZA
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