Publications by authors named "Bret M Whitney"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates a hybrid zone formed between two species of army-ant-followers in the Amazon, the White-breasted Antbird and the Harlequin Antbird, focusing on genomic and phenotypic differences.
- There is a notable geographic separation (about 120 km) between the mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA of the hybridizing species, leading to questions about the reasons for this discrepancy.
- The findings point to possible explanations for the separation, including genetic drift and sampling error, but suggest that the White-breasted Antbird is expanding and interbreeding with the Harlequin Antbird.
The temporal origins of the extraordinary biodiversity of the Neotropical region are highly debated. Recent empirical work has found support for alternative models on the tempo of speciation in Neotropical species further fuelling the debate. However, relationships within many Neotropical lineages are poorly understood, and it is unclear how this uncertainty impacts inferences on the evolution of taxa in the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Thamnophilidae is a diverse radiation of insectivorous passerine birds that comprises nearly 220 species and is mostly restricted to the lowlands and lower montane forests of the Neotropics. Current classification within Thamnophilidae relies primarily on morphological variation, but recent incorporation of molecular and vocal data has promoted changes at various taxonomic levels. Here we demonstrate that the genus Terenura is polyphyletic because Terenura callinota, T.
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