THE EMERGENCE AND LOSS OF PHENOTYPIC AND GENOMIC DIVERSITY IN SOUTHEASTASIAN PASSERINES

Abstract

While half of the earth’s biodiversity resides in tropical regions, studies on the mechanisms and causes of recent biotic differentiation have mostly focused on the northern hemisphere. Understanding the biogeographical history of species in tropical regions is, however, important as it may help us predict their response to future changes and conserve tropical species diversity. Southeast Asia is a major biodiversity hotspots, and because of the periodical connectivity of its land masses due to sea level changes during Pleistocene glaciations, this region is particularly interesting for studying the evolutionary mechanisms governing differentiation. Southeast Asia’s biodiversity is particularly threatened by deforestation and habitat modifications associated with human growth, which makes this region also interesting for studying the mechanisms underlying the loss of diversity. Using vocal and genomic data I studied the emergence and loss of phenotypic and genomic diversity in sylvioids of Southeast Asia.