Phylogenetic conservatism and antiquity of a tropical specialization: Army-ant-following in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae)

Robb T. Brumfield, Jose G. Tello, Z. A. Cheviron, Matthew D. Carling, Nanette Crochet, Kenneth V. Rosenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

One of the most novel foraging strategies in Neotropical birds is army-ant-following, in which birds prey upon arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by swarm raids of the army-ant Eciton burchellii. This specialization is most developed in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) which are divisible into three specialization categories: (1) those that forage at swarms opportunistically as army-ants move through their territories (occasional followers), (2) those that follow swarms beyond their territories but also forage independently of swarms (regular followers), and (3) those that appear incapable of foraging independently of swarms (obligate followers). Although army-ant-following is one of the great spectacles of tropical forests, basic questions about its evolution remain unaddressed. Using a strongly resolved molecular phylogeny of the typical antbirds, we found that army-ant-following is phylogenetically conserved, with regular following having evolved only three times, and that the most likely evolutionary progression was from least (occasional) to more (regular) to most (obligate) specialized, with no reversals from the obligate state. Despite the dependence of the specialists on a single ant species, molecular dating indicates that army-ant-following has persisted in antbirds since the late Miocene. These results provide the first characterization of army-ant-following as an ancient and phylogenetically conserved specialization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalMolecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Volume45
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Ancestral character state reconstruction
  • Army-ant-following
  • Eciton
  • Ecological specialization
  • Foraging strategies
  • Thamnophildae

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

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