Phylogenetic conservatism and antiquity of a tropical specialization: Army-ant-following in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae)

One of the most novel foraging strategies in Neotropical birds is army-ant-following, in which birds prey upon arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by swarm raids of the army-ant Eciton burchellii. This specialization is most developed in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilida...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 2007-10, Vol.45 (1), p.1-13
Main Authors: Brumfield, Robb T., Tello, Jose G., Cheviron, Z.A., Carling, Matthew D., Crochet, Nanette, Rosenberg, Kenneth V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancestral character state reconstruction
Animals
Ants - physiology
Army-ant-following
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Biological Evolution
Birds - genetics
Birds - physiology
Eciton
Eciton burchelli
Ecological specialization
Ecosystem
Food Chain
Foraging strategies
Formicidae
Genetic Speciation
Genetic Variation
Phylogeny
South America
Thamnophildae
Tropical Climate
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Summary:One of the most novel foraging strategies in Neotropical birds is army-ant-following, in which birds prey upon arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by swarm raids of the army-ant Eciton burchellii. This specialization is most developed in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) which are divisible into three specialization categories: (1) those that forage at swarms opportunistically as army-ants move through their territories ( occasional followers), (2) those that follow swarms beyond their territories but also forage independently of swarms ( regular followers), and (3) those that appear incapable of foraging independently of swarms ( obligate followers). Although army-ant-following is one of the great spectacles of tropical forests, basic questions about its evolution remain unaddressed. Using a strongly resolved molecular phylogeny of the typical antbirds, we found that army-ant-following is phylogenetically conserved, with regular following having evolved only three times, and that the most likely evolutionary progression was from least ( occasional) to more ( regular) to most ( obligate) specialized, with no reversals from the obligate state. Despite the dependence of the specialists on a single ant species, molecular dating indicates that army-ant-following has persisted in antbirds since the late Miocene. These results provide the first characterization of army-ant-following as an ancient and phylogenetically conserved specialization.
ISSN:1055-7903
1095-9513
DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.019