Study Shows Birds that Have Evolved Greater Complexity are Less Biodiverse--Birds: More Complexity, Less Biodiversity
Published:09 Nov.2023 Source:University of Bath
A new study of the evolution of birds shows that as their skeletons become more complex, they also decrease in diversity, with fewer species as they become more specialised in their niches. The findings, published in Nature Communications, show a correlation between skeleton complexity and bird diversity for the first time, and help biologists better understand why biodiversity varies across the birds.
Researchers at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath looked at 983 species across all major groups of living birds and measured the complexity of their skeletons by comparing the bones in their fore limbs (wings) and hind limbs (legs). They found that less complex birds -- those with a smaller differences between their fore and hind limbs -- had more species diversity than those with higher complexity and a larger difference between their limbs.
They found that less complex birds -- those with a smaller differences between their fore and hind limbs -- had more species diversity than those with higher complexity and a larger difference between their limbs. They predict that birds with more complex skeletons and less diversity will be at greater risk of extinction from these changes. The researchers next plan to test if this pattern is also true in other animals.