IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v7y2016i1d10.1038_ncomms11250.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Omnivory in birds is a macroevolutionary sink

Author

Listed:
  • Gustavo Burin

    (Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo)

  • W. Daniel Kissling

    (Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam,)

  • Paulo R. Guimarães

    (Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo)

  • Çağan H. Şekercioğlu

    (University of Utah
    College of Sciences, Koç University)

  • Tiago B. Quental

    (Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo)

Abstract

Diet is commonly assumed to affect the evolution of species, but few studies have directly tested its effect at macroevolutionary scales. Here we use Bayesian models of trait-dependent diversification and a comprehensive dietary database of all birds worldwide to assess speciation and extinction dynamics of avian dietary guilds (carnivores, frugivores, granivores, herbivores, insectivores, nectarivores, omnivores and piscivores). Our results suggest that omnivory is associated with higher extinction rates and lower speciation rates than other guilds, and that overall net diversification is negative. Trait-dependent models, dietary similarity and network analyses show that transitions into omnivory occur at higher rates than into any other guild. We suggest that omnivory acts as macroevolutionary sink, where its ephemeral nature is retrieved through transitions from other guilds rather than from omnivore speciation. We propose that these dynamics result from competition within and among dietary guilds, influenced by the deep-time availability and predictability of food resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustavo Burin & W. Daniel Kissling & Paulo R. Guimarães & Çağan H. Şekercioğlu & Tiago B. Quental, 2016. "Omnivory in birds is a macroevolutionary sink," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-10, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11250
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11250
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11250
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms11250?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11250. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.