Seasonal migration and the evolution of an inverse latitudinal diversity gradient in shorebirds

Aim

While the evolution of seasonal migration and its association with biogeography have been the subject of numerous studies, its influence on species diversification has rarely been examined. The aim of this study is to explain the atypical latitudinal diversity gradient in shorebirds: did seasonal migration influence diversification and did the gradient evolve from higher in situ diversification or repeated transitions?

Location

Global.

Time Period

Palaeogene to present.

Major Taxa Studied

Order Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies). Shorebirds include the species with the longest annual migrations in birds and exhibit an inverse latitudinal diversity gradient, with more species breeding toward higher latitudes.

Methods

We first assessed the temporal and geographical framework of the evolution of migration using a newly reconstructed time-calibrated phylogeny, and using the fossil record as a complementary source of information. We then used hidden state speciation and extinction models to test whether diversification and thus the latitudinal diversity gradient has been shaped by migratory behaviour or species latitudinal distribution.

Results

We found that the ancestor of Charadriiformes was likely a tropical year-round resident and that the current clade's distribution of diversity was not shaped by dispersal events out of the tropics but rather by higher in situ diversification in temperate biomes compared to tropical biomes. Seasonal migration did not affect diversification rate in our models. However, the evolution of seasonal migration seems to be a prerequisite to breed in temperate biomes, indirectly enabling the higher diversification observed in temperate biomes.

Main Conclusions

Our results bring original insights into how the migratory behaviour acted as a precursor in the diversification and biogeographical history of a large bird clade, ultimately shaping an atypical latitudinal diversity gradient.