AI Article Synopsis
- Hummingbirds evolved distinct forms and behaviors due to their reliance on floral nectar as a primary energy source.
- Approximately forty million years ago, the availability of this dense fuel led to significant evolutionary pressures on their physical structure and function.
- These adaptations resulted in hummingbirds developing unique flying abilities, allowing them to maneuver like insects rather than traditional birds.
Article Abstract
Hummingbirds are very distinctive in their form and behavior, the evolution of which is tightly connected to the evolution of their primary source of energy - floral nectar. About forty million years ago, the practical use of this dense fuel, available only in widely-dispersed, insect-sized aliquots - it was originally intended for insect pollinators - presented a severe test to the avian bauplan. This selective pressure forced broad changes in form and function, affecting anatomical structures ranging from the feeding apparatus to the locomotor system. We describe here how these pressures shaped a bird that flies like a bird into one that flies like a fly.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.04.057 | DOI Listing |
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