title: New Zealand Passerines Help Clarify the Diversification of Major Songbird Lineages during the Oligocene.
abstract: Passerines are the largest avian order, and the 6,000 species comprise more than half of all extant bird species. This successful radiation probably had its origin in the Australasian region, but dating this origin has been difficult due to a scarce fossil record and poor biogeographic assumptions. Many of New Zealand's endemic passerines fall within the deeper branches of the passerine radiation, and a well resolved phylogeny for the modern New Zealand element in the deeper branches of the oscine lineage will help us understand both oscine and passerine biogeography. To this end we present complete mitochondrial genomes representing all families of New Zealand passerines in a phylogenetic framework of over 100 passerine species. Dating analyses of this robust phylogeny suggest Passeriformes originated in the early Paleocene, with the major lineages of oscines "escaping" from Australasia about 30 Ma, and radiating throughout the world during the Oligocene. This independently derived conclusion is consistent with the passerine fossil record.
authors.affiliation: Ecology Group, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand gillian.c.gibb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gillian C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Gibb
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Present address: Forensic Business Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR Ltd.), Mt Albert Science Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: England
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Present address: Starlims Germany GmbH An Abbott Company, Witten, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hartig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Patricia A Trish
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: McLenachan
authors.affiliation: Ecology Group, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Briar L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Taylor Smith
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Present address: School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Bennet J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: McComish
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Penny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005580:Fossils; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009520:New Zealand; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020308:Songbirds / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Passeriformes; mitochondrial genomes; oscine biogeography