title: A phylogenetic analysis of woodpeckers and their allies using 12S, Cyt b, and COI nucleotide sequences (class Aves; order Piciformes).
abstract: Although the woodpeckers have long been recognized as a natural, monophyletic taxon, morphological analyses of their intra- and intergeneric relationships have produced conflicting results. To clarify this issue, and as part of a larger study of piciform relationships, nucleotide sequences for the 12S ribosomal RNA (12S; 1123 bp), cytochrome b (Cyt b; 1022 bp), and cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (COI; 1512 bp) mitochondrial genes were obtained from 34 piciform species that included 16 of the 23 currently recognized woodpecker genera (subfamily Picinae), three piculets (subfamily Picumninae), a wryneck (subfamily Jynginae), a honeyguide (family Indicatoridae), and three barbets (infraorder Ramphastides). Analyses were conducted on the individual and combined 12S, Cyt b, and COI sequences with maximum parsimony, neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian algorithms. Based on the strong, congruent support among the different data partitions and models of sequence evolution, a highly resolved consensus of the relationships among woodpeckers and their allies could be formed. The monophyly of Indicatoridae + Picidae (infraorder Picides), Picidae, Picinae + Picumninae, and Picinae was strongly supported in all analyses. However, the tribes Colaptini, Picini, Campephilini, and Campetherini were shown to be paraphyletic as were the genera of Colaptes and Piculus. A revision of the tribal-level classification of woodpeckers is proposed and the importance of plumage convergence among woodpeckers is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 830 N. University Avenue, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA. webb@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
authors.forename: David Matthew
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017354:Point Mutation; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S; D045303:Cytochromes b; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV