Evaluating the contribution of dispersal to community structure in Neotropical passerine birds

Abstract

For two centuries evolutionary biologists have sought to explain elevated biodiversity in the Neotropics. Although different process are known to be important, it is still not uncommon for researchers to emphasize a single mechanism. Recently, arguments have highlighted the importance of dispersal shaping community structure and evolution across the region. We examine this hypothesis by visualizing spatial variation in community structure for the majority of South American passerines (Aves) across the northern half of South America. By sampling over a contiguous area we show how community structure varies widely across Amazonia and surrounding regions. Our results support a combination of processes including: the inability of species to disperse across geographic barriers, Andean uplift, and variation in habitat type. Although dispersal is a factor, our results emphasize a lack of dispersal, driven primarily by features of the landscape, coupled with historical changes in climate to be important drivers of Neotropical diversity.