Publication: A phylogeny of frugivorous hornbills linked to the evolution of Indian plants within Asian rainforests
Issued Date
2011-07-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14209101
1010061X
1010061X
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-79959347332
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Vol.24, No.7 (2011), 1533-1545
Suggested Citation
N. Viseshakul, W. Charoennitikul, S. Kitamura, A. Kemp, S. Thong-Aree, Y. Surapunpitak, P. Poonswad, M. Ponglikitmongkol A phylogeny of frugivorous hornbills linked to the evolution of Indian plants within Asian rainforests. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Vol.24, No.7 (2011), 1533-1545. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02285.x Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/11299
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Title
A phylogeny of frugivorous hornbills linked to the evolution of Indian plants within Asian rainforests
Abstract
Understanding the origin and radiation of modern Asian hornbills and the influential ecological roles they play as seed dispersal agents within Asian rainforests should help reveal the evolution of these roles. We constructed a dated phylogeny of hornbills using mitochondrial DNA sequences of the cytochrome b gene and discovered that all clades leading to frugivorous hornbills originated in the mid-Eocene ∼48Ma. This 'explosive' radiation coincided with a remarkable floral invasion of Asian rainforests from the Indian microcontinent. Analysis of phylogenetic data, in conjunction with palaeontological events, suggests that the invasion of distinctive flora comprised two waves, one during the mid-Eocene, when India was offshore of the Sunda Shelf, and the other late Eocene, when India collided with the Asian mainland. We propose that frugivorous vertebrates, such as hornbills, were present during the first wave and assisted rapid colonization of the Asian flora. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2011 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.