title: Molecular phylogeny and diversification of a widespread Neotropical rainforest bird group: The Buff-throated Woodcreeper complex, Xiphorhynchus guttatus/susurrans (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae).
abstract: The genus Xiphorhynchus is a species rich avian group widely distributed in Neotropical forests of Central and South America. Although recent molecular studies have improved our understanding of the spatial patterns of genetic diversity in some species of this genus, most are still poorly known, including their taxonomy. Here, we address the historical diversification and phylogenetic relationships of the X. guttatus/susurrans complex, using data from two mitochondrial (cyt b and ND2) and one nuclear (β-fibint7) genes. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred with both gene trees and a Bayesian-based species tree under a coalescent framework (∗BEAST). With exception of the nuclear β-fibint7 gene that produced an unresolved tree, both mtDNA and the species tree showed a similar topology and were congruent in recovering five main clades with high statistical support. These clades, however, are not fully concordant with traditional delimitation of some X. guttatus subspecies, since X. g. polystictus, X. g. guttatus, and X. g. connectens are not supported as distinct clades. Interestingly, these three taxa are more closely related to the mostly trans-Andean X. susurrans than the other southern and western Amazonian subspecies of X. guttatus, which constitutes a paraphyletic species. Timing estimates based on the species tree indicated that diversification in X. guttatus occurred between the end of the Pliocene and early Pleistocene, likely associated with the formation of the modern Amazon River and its main southern tributaries (Xingu, Tocantins, and Madeira), in addition to climate-induced changes in the distribution of rainforest biomes. Our study supports with an enlarged dataset a previous proposal for recognizing at least three species level taxa in the X. guttatus/susurrans complex: X. susurrans, X. guttatus, and X. guttatoides.
authors: Laboratório de Evolução, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA 68600-000, Brazil.
authors: Tainá C
authors: TC
authors: Rocha
authors: CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão 4485-661, Portugal.
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Sequeira
authors: Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, Belém, PA 66040-170, Brazil.
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Aleixo
authors: Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA 68600-000, Brazil.
authors: Péricles S
authors: PS
authors: Rêgo
authors: Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA 68600-000, Brazil.
authors: Iracilda
authors: I
authors: Sampaio
authors: Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA 68600-000, Brazil.
authors: Horacio
authors: H
authors: Schneider
authors: Laboratório de Evolução, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA 68600-000, Brazil; CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão 4485-661, Portugal. Electronic address: mvallino@ufpa.br.
authors: Marcelo
authors: M
authors: Vallinoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D065947:Rainforest; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013020:South America
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: Biogeography; Neotropics; Phylogeography; Species tree; Taxonomy