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Nancy B. Simmons - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A Species-Level Phylogeny of Old World Fruit Bats with a New Higher-Level Classification of the Family Pteropodidae
American Museum Novitates, 2020Co-Authors: Francisca Cunha. Almeida, Nancy B. Simmons, Norberto P. GianniniAbstract:Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Yinpterochiroptera: Pteropodidae) are a diverse radiation endemic to the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, and nearby island archipelagos. Recent molecular analyses have provided considerable resolution of phylogenetic relationships within this group, but many points of uncertainty have remained including the position of several enigmatic taxa (e.g., Notopteris, Eidolon), relationships among species in more diverse subfamilies and genera (e.g., Pteropodinae, Pteropus, Epomophorus), and topology of the backbone of the tree. Here we provide a new, synthetic analysis including representatives of all 45 currently recognized genera and enhanced sampling in several speciose genera. Our matrix included four nuclear genes regions (vWF, RAG1, RAG2, and BRCA1) and four mitochondrial gene loci (Cytb, tRNA valine, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA) for a total of >8000 bp including new sequence data for 13 species. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses resulted in trees supporting recognition of six main suprageneric clades similar in content to those identified in our previous studies. We did not recover strong support for relationships among the main clades along the backbone of the tree, but identified many well-supported clades within all of the major groups. Based on these results, we propose a new classification for Pteropodidae comprising eight subfamilies and 14 tribes, and including several new and/or replacement higher-level taxonomic names for which we provide morphological diagnoses.
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Phylogenetic Relationships of the Enigmatic Harpy
2016Co-Authors: Fruit Bat, Nancy B. Simmons, Chiroptera Pteropodidae, Rob DesalleAbstract:Harpy fruit bats, two closely related species in the genus Harpyionycteris (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), exhibit a suite of unique craniodental traits. For this reason, the affinities of these bats have remained unclear, and most systematists have placed them in a group of their own (Harpyionycterinae Miller, 1907). The multicuspidate pattern of the cheek teeth in Harpyionycteris has generated speculation that it may represent an ancestral tribosphenic pattern lost in other pteropodids. In this contribution we propose a phylogenetic placement of Harpyionycteris based on parsimony analysis of complete sequences from two coding genes, the nuclear vWF (exon 28) and the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt-b). Both datasets, independently and in combination, strongly support a close relationship between Harpyionycteris and Dobsonia, as originally proposed by Andersen (1912, Catalogue of Chiroptera, British Museum Trustees). In turn, this group nests deeply inside Pteropodidae but it is not closely related to any particular suprageneric clade. Based on other data, we postulate that Aproteles also belongs in this group and therefore propose the expansion of Harpyionycterinae to include Harpyionycteris, Aproteles, and Dobsonia. Regarding the dentition, our results strongly reject the tribosphenic hypothesis advanced by some authors. The multicuspidate cheek tooth pattern seen in Harpyionycteris appears uniquely derive
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The evolutionary history of the African fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Acta Chiropterologica, 2016Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:Bats of the family Pteropodidae, also known as megabats or Old World fruit bats, are widely distributed in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Of 45 genera in the family, 12 are endemic to the Afro-tropical region and two others have representative species on the African continent. African megabats inhabit wooded habitats and are nearly ubiquitous on the mainland and nearby islands with the exception of desert areas. Some species have been implicated as possible reservoirs of the Ebola Zaire virus. We studied the phylogenetic relationships of mainland African megabats using both mitochondrial and nuclear loci in separate and combined analyses. The phylogenetic trees obtained showed four main African clades: Eidolon, Scotonycterini (including two genera), African Rousettus (three species), and the previously identified ‘endemic African clade’ (nine genera). The latter three lineages form a clade that also includes the Asian species of Rousettus and the Asian genus Eonycteris; Eidolon does not show...
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Each flying fox on its own branch: A phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. Simmons, Kristofer M. HelgenAbstract:Pteropodidae is a diverse Old World family of non-echolocating, frugivorous and nectarivorous bats that includes the flying foxes (genus Pteropus) and allied genera. The subfamily Pteropodinae includes the largest living bats and is distributed across an immense geographic range from islands in East Africa to the Cook Islands of Polynesia. These bats are keystone species in their ecosystems and some carry zoonotic diseases that are increasingly a focus of interest in biomedical research. Here we present a comprehensive phylogeny for pteropodines focused on Pteropus. The analyses included 50 of the ∼63 species of Pteropus and 11 species from 7 related genera. We obtained sequences of the cytochrome b and the 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes for all species and sequences of the nuclear RAG1, vWF, and BRCA1 genes for a subsample of taxa. Some of the sequences of Pteropus were obtained from skin biopsies of museum specimens including that of an extinct species, P. tokudae. The resulting trees recovered Pteropus as monophyletic, although further work is needed to determine whether P. personatus belongs in the genus. Monophyly of the majority of traditionally-recognized Pteropus species groups was rejected, but statistical support was strong for several clades on which we based a new classification of the Pteropus species into 13 species groups. Other noteworthy results emerged regarding species status of several problematic taxa, including recognition of P. capistratus and P. ennisae as distinct species, paraphyly of the P. hypomelanus complex, and conspecific status of P. pelewensis pelewensis and P. p. yapensis. Relationships among the pteropodine genera were not completely resolved with the current dataset. Divergence time analysis suggests that Pteropus originated in the Miocene and that two independent bursts of diversification occurred in the Pleistocene in different regions of the Indo-Pacific realm.
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Evolutionary relationships of the old world fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae): Another star phylogeny?
BMC evolutionary biology, 2011Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Rob Desalle, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:The family Pteropodidae comprises bats commonly known as megabats or Old World fruit bats. Molecular phylogenetic studies of pteropodids have provided considerable insight into intrafamilial relationships, but these studies have included only a fraction of the extant diversity (a maximum of 26 out of the 46 currently recognized genera) and have failed to resolve deep relationships among internal clades. Here we readdress the systematics of pteropodids by applying a strategy to try to resolve ancient relationships within Pteropodidae, while providing further insight into subgroup membership, by 1) increasing the taxonomic sample to 42 genera; 2) increasing the number of characters (to >8,000 bp) and nuclear genomic representation; 3) minimizing missing data; 4) controlling for sequence bias; and 5) using appropriate data partitioning and models of sequence evolution. Our analyses recovered six principal clades and one additional independent lineage (consisting of a single genus) within Pteropodidae. Reciprocal monophyly of these groups was highly supported and generally congruent among the different methods and datasets used. Likewise, most relationships within these principal clades were well resolved and statistically supported. Relationships among the 7 principal groups, however, were poorly supported in all analyses. This result could not be explained by any detectable systematic bias in the data or incongruence among loci. The SOWH test confirmed that basal branches' lengths were not different from zero, which points to closely-spaced cladogenesis as the most likely explanation for the poor resolution of the deep pteropodid relationships. Simulations suggest that an increase in the amount of sequence data is likely to solve this problem. The phylogenetic hypothesis generated here provides a robust framework for a revised cladistic classification of Pteropodidae into subfamilies and tribes and will greatly contribute to the understanding of character evolution and biogeography of pteropodids. The inability of our data to resolve the deepest relationships of the major pteropodid lineages suggests an explosive diversification soon after origin of the crown pteropodids. Several characteristics of pteropodids are consistent with this conclusion, including high species diversity, great morphological diversity, and presence of key innovations in relation to their sister group.
Norberto P. Giannini - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A Species-Level Phylogeny of Old World Fruit Bats with a New Higher-Level Classification of the Family Pteropodidae
American Museum Novitates, 2020Co-Authors: Francisca Cunha. Almeida, Nancy B. Simmons, Norberto P. GianniniAbstract:Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Yinpterochiroptera: Pteropodidae) are a diverse radiation endemic to the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, and nearby island archipelagos. Recent molecular analyses have provided considerable resolution of phylogenetic relationships within this group, but many points of uncertainty have remained including the position of several enigmatic taxa (e.g., Notopteris, Eidolon), relationships among species in more diverse subfamilies and genera (e.g., Pteropodinae, Pteropus, Epomophorus), and topology of the backbone of the tree. Here we provide a new, synthetic analysis including representatives of all 45 currently recognized genera and enhanced sampling in several speciose genera. Our matrix included four nuclear genes regions (vWF, RAG1, RAG2, and BRCA1) and four mitochondrial gene loci (Cytb, tRNA valine, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA) for a total of >8000 bp including new sequence data for 13 species. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses resulted in trees supporting recognition of six main suprageneric clades similar in content to those identified in our previous studies. We did not recover strong support for relationships among the main clades along the backbone of the tree, but identified many well-supported clades within all of the major groups. Based on these results, we propose a new classification for Pteropodidae comprising eight subfamilies and 14 tribes, and including several new and/or replacement higher-level taxonomic names for which we provide morphological diagnoses.
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The evolutionary history of the African fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Acta Chiropterologica, 2016Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:Bats of the family Pteropodidae, also known as megabats or Old World fruit bats, are widely distributed in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Of 45 genera in the family, 12 are endemic to the Afro-tropical region and two others have representative species on the African continent. African megabats inhabit wooded habitats and are nearly ubiquitous on the mainland and nearby islands with the exception of desert areas. Some species have been implicated as possible reservoirs of the Ebola Zaire virus. We studied the phylogenetic relationships of mainland African megabats using both mitochondrial and nuclear loci in separate and combined analyses. The phylogenetic trees obtained showed four main African clades: Eidolon, Scotonycterini (including two genera), African Rousettus (three species), and the previously identified ‘endemic African clade’ (nine genera). The latter three lineages form a clade that also includes the Asian species of Rousettus and the Asian genus Eonycteris; Eidolon does not show...
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Each flying fox on its own branch: A phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. Simmons, Kristofer M. HelgenAbstract:Pteropodidae is a diverse Old World family of non-echolocating, frugivorous and nectarivorous bats that includes the flying foxes (genus Pteropus) and allied genera. The subfamily Pteropodinae includes the largest living bats and is distributed across an immense geographic range from islands in East Africa to the Cook Islands of Polynesia. These bats are keystone species in their ecosystems and some carry zoonotic diseases that are increasingly a focus of interest in biomedical research. Here we present a comprehensive phylogeny for pteropodines focused on Pteropus. The analyses included 50 of the ∼63 species of Pteropus and 11 species from 7 related genera. We obtained sequences of the cytochrome b and the 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes for all species and sequences of the nuclear RAG1, vWF, and BRCA1 genes for a subsample of taxa. Some of the sequences of Pteropus were obtained from skin biopsies of museum specimens including that of an extinct species, P. tokudae. The resulting trees recovered Pteropus as monophyletic, although further work is needed to determine whether P. personatus belongs in the genus. Monophyly of the majority of traditionally-recognized Pteropus species groups was rejected, but statistical support was strong for several clades on which we based a new classification of the Pteropus species into 13 species groups. Other noteworthy results emerged regarding species status of several problematic taxa, including recognition of P. capistratus and P. ennisae as distinct species, paraphyly of the P. hypomelanus complex, and conspecific status of P. pelewensis pelewensis and P. p. yapensis. Relationships among the pteropodine genera were not completely resolved with the current dataset. Divergence time analysis suggests that Pteropus originated in the Miocene and that two independent bursts of diversification occurred in the Pleistocene in different regions of the Indo-Pacific realm.
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Evolutionary relationships of the old world fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae): Another star phylogeny?
BMC evolutionary biology, 2011Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Rob Desalle, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:The family Pteropodidae comprises bats commonly known as megabats or Old World fruit bats. Molecular phylogenetic studies of pteropodids have provided considerable insight into intrafamilial relationships, but these studies have included only a fraction of the extant diversity (a maximum of 26 out of the 46 currently recognized genera) and have failed to resolve deep relationships among internal clades. Here we readdress the systematics of pteropodids by applying a strategy to try to resolve ancient relationships within Pteropodidae, while providing further insight into subgroup membership, by 1) increasing the taxonomic sample to 42 genera; 2) increasing the number of characters (to >8,000 bp) and nuclear genomic representation; 3) minimizing missing data; 4) controlling for sequence bias; and 5) using appropriate data partitioning and models of sequence evolution. Our analyses recovered six principal clades and one additional independent lineage (consisting of a single genus) within Pteropodidae. Reciprocal monophyly of these groups was highly supported and generally congruent among the different methods and datasets used. Likewise, most relationships within these principal clades were well resolved and statistically supported. Relationships among the 7 principal groups, however, were poorly supported in all analyses. This result could not be explained by any detectable systematic bias in the data or incongruence among loci. The SOWH test confirmed that basal branches' lengths were not different from zero, which points to closely-spaced cladogenesis as the most likely explanation for the poor resolution of the deep pteropodid relationships. Simulations suggest that an increase in the amount of sequence data is likely to solve this problem. The phylogenetic hypothesis generated here provides a robust framework for a revised cladistic classification of Pteropodidae into subfamilies and tribes and will greatly contribute to the understanding of character evolution and biogeography of pteropodids. The inability of our data to resolve the deepest relationships of the major pteropodid lineages suggests an explosive diversification soon after origin of the crown pteropodids. Several characteristics of pteropodids are consistent with this conclusion, including high species diversity, great morphological diversity, and presence of key innovations in relation to their sister group.
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Chapter 6. Phylogenetic Relationships of Harpyionycterine Megabats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 2009Co-Authors: Norberto P. Giannini, Francisca C. Almeida, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:Abstract After almost 70 years of stability following publication of Andersen's (1912) monograph on the group, the systematics of megachiropteran bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) was thrown into flux with the advent of molecular phylogenetics in the 1980s—a state where it has remained ever since. One particularly problematic group has been the Austromalayan Harpyionycterinae, currently thought to include Dobsonia and Harpyionycteris, and probably also Aproteles. In this contribution we revisit the systematics of harpyionycterines. We examine historical hypotheses of relationships including the suggestion by O. Thomas (1896) that the rousettine Boneia bidens may be related to Harpyionycteris, and report the results of a series of phylogenetic analyses based on new as well as previously published sequence data from the genes RAG1, RAG2, vWF, c-mos, cytb, 12S, tVal, 16S, and ND2. Despite a striking lack of morphological synapomorphies, results of our combined analyses indicate that Boneia groups with Aprotele...
Thomas H. Kunz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Sources of Assimilated Proteins in Old and New World Phytophagous Bats
Biotropica, 2010Co-Authors: Christian C Voigt, Thomas H. Kunz, Akbar Zubaid, Tigga KingstonAbstract:ABSTRACT Dietary proteins are considered crucial for growth and maintenance in mammals, but many fruit-eating mammals feed largely on a protein-poor diet. In the Chir-optera, frugivory has evolved twice, in the Old World Pteropodidae and in the New World Phyllostomidae, especially the Stenodermatinae. Recent studies based onthe analysis of nitrogen isotope ratios (d 15 N) suggest that phyllostomids feed to varying degrees on arthropods to meet their nitrogen (N) requirements. ArthropodfeedinghasrarelybeenobservedinPteropodidae.Thus,weaskedwhetherpteropodidsmeettheirNrequirementsbyfeedingexclusivelyonplantmatter.Wepredictedthattissuefrompteropodidwingmembranes shouldbe depletedin 15 Nrelativeto thoseofobligateinsectivorousrhinolophoid, vespertilionid oremballonurid bats,ifpteropodidsacquireproteinsexclusivelyfromfruits,leavesornectar.Wefoundthatd 15 Ninpteropodidsweresignificantlylowerthaninobligateinsectivorousbats.Inaddition, mean d 15 N of Old World pteropodids was similar to that of obligate frugivorous stenodermatines of the New World tropics. We infer from these data thatpteropodids are predominantly phytophagous bats. From a nutritional perspective, pteropodids and stenodermatines are very similar, suggesting that they shareconvergent physiological adaptations to compensate for the lack of dietary nitrogen.Key words: diet; insectivory; isotopes; nitrogen balance; Pteropodidae; Phyllostomidae.
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Habitat structure, wing morphology, and the vertical stratification of Malaysian fruit bats (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Journal of Tropical Ecology, 2004Co-Authors: Robert Hodgkison, Akbar Zubaid, Sharon T. Balding, Thomas H. KunzAbstract:This study investigated the vertical stratification of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in relation to habitat structure and wing morphology, in a lowland Malaysian rain forest. In total, 352 fruit bats of eight species were captured within the subcanopy of the structurally complex old-growth forest during 72 306 m 2 mist net hours of sampling. Fruit bat species that were grouped in relation to capture height were also grouped in relation to wing morphology - with those species predicted to have more manoeuvrable flight (i.e. lower wing-loadings and lower aspect-ratios) captured in increasingly cluttered airspaces. Thus, small differences in wing morphology are likely to be ecologically significant to the vertical stratification of bats. Hence, habitat heterogeneity may be a key factor promoting fruit bat species diversity in old-growth palaeotropical forests.
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Fruit Bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) as Seed Dispersers and Pollinators in a Lowland Malaysian Rain Forest1
Biotropica, 2003Co-Authors: Robert Hodgkison, Akbar Zubaid, Sharon T. Balding, Thomas H. KunzAbstract:Abstract The aims of this study were to (1) characterize the food resources exploited by fruit bats (Pteropodidae) within an old-growth Malaysian dipterocarp forest, (2) test the viability of the seeds they disperse, and (3) provide an estimate of the proportion of trees that are to some degree dependent upon bats for seed dispersal and/or pollination. Fruit species exploited by bats could be distinguished from those eaten by birds largely on the basis of color (as perceived by human beings). Bat-dispersed fruits were typically inconspicuous shades of green–yellow or dull red–brown, whereas fruits eaten by birds were generally bright orange to red. Dietary overlap between bats and nonflying mammals was relatively high. In contrast to primates and squirrels, which were major seed predators for several of the plant species under investigation, fruit bats had no negative impact on seed viability. A botanical survey in 1 ha of old-growth forest revealed that 13.7 percent of trees (≥15 cm girth at breast heigh...
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temporal patterns of resource use by the short nosed fruit bat cynopterus sphinx megachiroptera Pteropodidae
Journal of Mammalogy, 2001Co-Authors: Vadamalai Elangovan, Ganapathy Marimuthu, Thomas H. KunzAbstract:The short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae), is a common plant-visiting bat that is widely distributed throughout the Indomalayan region. We quantified foraging behavior of C. sphinx as individuals fed on fruits of Annona squamosa, leaves of Cassia fistula and Mimusops elengi, and fruits and leaves of Coccinia indica. After making several circling flights and engaging in brief hovering bouts, bats typically land directly on a single fruit and remove all or part of it with the mouth. In contrast, individuals remove leaves from trees during flight, without landing or hovering. C. sphinx typically transports fruits and leaves to feeding roosts where it extracts soluble contents and expels fibrous spats beneath day and feeding roosts. This bat consumes mostly fruits upon emergence from day roosts and feeds on leaves later in the night. These temporal differences in nightly foraging behavior may reflect the higher water and carbohydrate (energy) contents of fruits, compared with leaves, and help sustain flight activity throughout the night.
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SHORT-NOSED FRUIT BAT, CYNOPTERUS SPHINX (MEGACHIROPTERA: Pteropodidae)
2001Co-Authors: Vadamalai Elangovan, Ganapathy Marimuthu, Thomas H. KunzAbstract:The short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae), is a common plant-visiting bat that is widely distributed throughout the Indomalayan region. We quantified foraging behavior of C. sphinx as individuals fed on fruits of Annona squamosa, leaves of Cassia fistula and Mimusops elengi, and fruits and leaves of Coccinia indica. After making several circling flights and engaging in brief hovering bouts, bats typically land directly on a single fruit and remove all or part of it with the mouth. In contrast, individuals remove leaves from trees during flight, without landing or hovering. C. sphinx typically transports fruits and leaves to feeding roosts where it extracts soluble contents and expels fibrous spats beneath day and feeding roosts. This bat consumes mostly fruits upon emergence from day roosts and feeds on leaves later in the night. These temporal differences in nightly foraging behavior may reflect the higher water and carbohydrate (energy) contents of fruits, compared with leaves, and help sustain flight activity throughout the night.
Francisca C. Almeida - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The evolutionary history of the African fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Acta Chiropterologica, 2016Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:Bats of the family Pteropodidae, also known as megabats or Old World fruit bats, are widely distributed in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Of 45 genera in the family, 12 are endemic to the Afro-tropical region and two others have representative species on the African continent. African megabats inhabit wooded habitats and are nearly ubiquitous on the mainland and nearby islands with the exception of desert areas. Some species have been implicated as possible reservoirs of the Ebola Zaire virus. We studied the phylogenetic relationships of mainland African megabats using both mitochondrial and nuclear loci in separate and combined analyses. The phylogenetic trees obtained showed four main African clades: Eidolon, Scotonycterini (including two genera), African Rousettus (three species), and the previously identified ‘endemic African clade’ (nine genera). The latter three lineages form a clade that also includes the Asian species of Rousettus and the Asian genus Eonycteris; Eidolon does not show...
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Each flying fox on its own branch: A phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Nancy B. Simmons, Kristofer M. HelgenAbstract:Pteropodidae is a diverse Old World family of non-echolocating, frugivorous and nectarivorous bats that includes the flying foxes (genus Pteropus) and allied genera. The subfamily Pteropodinae includes the largest living bats and is distributed across an immense geographic range from islands in East Africa to the Cook Islands of Polynesia. These bats are keystone species in their ecosystems and some carry zoonotic diseases that are increasingly a focus of interest in biomedical research. Here we present a comprehensive phylogeny for pteropodines focused on Pteropus. The analyses included 50 of the ∼63 species of Pteropus and 11 species from 7 related genera. We obtained sequences of the cytochrome b and the 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes for all species and sequences of the nuclear RAG1, vWF, and BRCA1 genes for a subsample of taxa. Some of the sequences of Pteropus were obtained from skin biopsies of museum specimens including that of an extinct species, P. tokudae. The resulting trees recovered Pteropus as monophyletic, although further work is needed to determine whether P. personatus belongs in the genus. Monophyly of the majority of traditionally-recognized Pteropus species groups was rejected, but statistical support was strong for several clades on which we based a new classification of the Pteropus species into 13 species groups. Other noteworthy results emerged regarding species status of several problematic taxa, including recognition of P. capistratus and P. ennisae as distinct species, paraphyly of the P. hypomelanus complex, and conspecific status of P. pelewensis pelewensis and P. p. yapensis. Relationships among the pteropodine genera were not completely resolved with the current dataset. Divergence time analysis suggests that Pteropus originated in the Miocene and that two independent bursts of diversification occurred in the Pleistocene in different regions of the Indo-Pacific realm.
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Evolutionary relationships of the old world fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae): Another star phylogeny?
BMC evolutionary biology, 2011Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Rob Desalle, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:The family Pteropodidae comprises bats commonly known as megabats or Old World fruit bats. Molecular phylogenetic studies of pteropodids have provided considerable insight into intrafamilial relationships, but these studies have included only a fraction of the extant diversity (a maximum of 26 out of the 46 currently recognized genera) and have failed to resolve deep relationships among internal clades. Here we readdress the systematics of pteropodids by applying a strategy to try to resolve ancient relationships within Pteropodidae, while providing further insight into subgroup membership, by 1) increasing the taxonomic sample to 42 genera; 2) increasing the number of characters (to >8,000 bp) and nuclear genomic representation; 3) minimizing missing data; 4) controlling for sequence bias; and 5) using appropriate data partitioning and models of sequence evolution. Our analyses recovered six principal clades and one additional independent lineage (consisting of a single genus) within Pteropodidae. Reciprocal monophyly of these groups was highly supported and generally congruent among the different methods and datasets used. Likewise, most relationships within these principal clades were well resolved and statistically supported. Relationships among the 7 principal groups, however, were poorly supported in all analyses. This result could not be explained by any detectable systematic bias in the data or incongruence among loci. The SOWH test confirmed that basal branches' lengths were not different from zero, which points to closely-spaced cladogenesis as the most likely explanation for the poor resolution of the deep pteropodid relationships. Simulations suggest that an increase in the amount of sequence data is likely to solve this problem. The phylogenetic hypothesis generated here provides a robust framework for a revised cladistic classification of Pteropodidae into subfamilies and tribes and will greatly contribute to the understanding of character evolution and biogeography of pteropodids. The inability of our data to resolve the deepest relationships of the major pteropodid lineages suggests an explosive diversification soon after origin of the crown pteropodids. Several characteristics of pteropodids are consistent with this conclusion, including high species diversity, great morphological diversity, and presence of key innovations in relation to their sister group.
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Chapter 6. Phylogenetic Relationships of Harpyionycterine Megabats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 2009Co-Authors: Norberto P. Giannini, Francisca C. Almeida, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:Abstract After almost 70 years of stability following publication of Andersen's (1912) monograph on the group, the systematics of megachiropteran bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) was thrown into flux with the advent of molecular phylogenetics in the 1980s—a state where it has remained ever since. One particularly problematic group has been the Austromalayan Harpyionycterinae, currently thought to include Dobsonia and Harpyionycteris, and probably also Aproteles. In this contribution we revisit the systematics of harpyionycterines. We examine historical hypotheses of relationships including the suggestion by O. Thomas (1896) that the rousettine Boneia bidens may be related to Harpyionycteris, and report the results of a series of phylogenetic analyses based on new as well as previously published sequence data from the genes RAG1, RAG2, vWF, c-mos, cytb, 12S, tVal, 16S, and ND2. Despite a striking lack of morphological synapomorphies, results of our combined analyses indicate that Boneia groups with Aprotele...
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The phylogenetic relationships of cynopterine fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae: Cynopterinae).
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2009Co-Authors: Francisca C. Almeida, Norberto P. Giannini, Rob Desalle, Nancy B. SimmonsAbstract:The subfamily Cynopterinae comprises ca. 24 species of pteropodid bats (Family Pteropodidae) distributed exclusively in South and Southeast Asia. Although some studies have supported monophyly of the subfamily, molecular analyses have produced contradictory results and there has been little agreement on relationships of cynopterines to other megabat groups. However, no previous studies have included a complete sampling of cynopterine genera. Here we describe a phylogenetic analysis of Cynopterinae based on more than 6000 bp from six different genes sampled in representatives of all 14 recognized genera. Our results support the monophyly of Cynopterinae but refute a close relationship of cynopterines with Nyctimeninae. Within Cynopterinae, our analyses consistently recovered two monophyletic clades, which we recommend be recognized formally as tribes: Cynopterini and Balionycterini. Biogeographic analyses indicate a Sundaland origin of the Cynopterinae and divergence date estimates suggest different timing of diversification of the two major cynopterine clades.
Francisca Cunha. Almeida - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Explosive radiation at the origin of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae)
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2021Co-Authors: Francisca Cunha. Almeida, Lucila Inés Amador, Norberto Pedro GianniniAbstract:Pteropodidae constitutes one of the most diverse bat families. These bats have evolved a phytophagous diet, likely lost laryngeal echolocation capability, and attained the largest body sizes among bats. Previous phylogenetic studies suggested that the family might have experienced an explosive diversification at its origin. Here, we readdress this hypothesis using a macroevolutionary approach based on Bayesian statistics (BAMM), a sampling of 139 pteropodid species, and divergence date estimates obtained in a comprehensive phylogenetic study of Chiroptera with multiple fossil calibration points. We evaluated the effect of missing data and of a reduced outgroup by repeating the analyses across simulated complete phylogenies and across a comprehensive Yinpterochiroptera phylogeny, respectively. Additionally, we performed an alternative analysis to detect diversification-rate shifts through time, the birth - death - shift method. In contrast with a previous study, we found strong statistical signals of rapid diversification at the origin of Pteropodidae. BAMM also detected diversification-rate shifts (increases) at the origin of Pteropus , as well as at crown Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae. The birth-death-shift method detected a shift at approximately 25 million years ago, the estimated crown ages of both Pteropodidae and Hipposideridae. Our results point to a complex dynamics in the evolution of bat families, likely related to key innovations, demographic factors, and environmental opportunity enhanced by global-scale climatic and geographic changes.
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A Species-Level Phylogeny of Old World Fruit Bats with a New Higher-Level Classification of the Family Pteropodidae
American Museum Novitates, 2020Co-Authors: Francisca Cunha. Almeida, Nancy B. Simmons, Norberto P. GianniniAbstract:Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Yinpterochiroptera: Pteropodidae) are a diverse radiation endemic to the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, and nearby island archipelagos. Recent molecular analyses have provided considerable resolution of phylogenetic relationships within this group, but many points of uncertainty have remained including the position of several enigmatic taxa (e.g., Notopteris, Eidolon), relationships among species in more diverse subfamilies and genera (e.g., Pteropodinae, Pteropus, Epomophorus), and topology of the backbone of the tree. Here we provide a new, synthetic analysis including representatives of all 45 currently recognized genera and enhanced sampling in several speciose genera. Our matrix included four nuclear genes regions (vWF, RAG1, RAG2, and BRCA1) and four mitochondrial gene loci (Cytb, tRNA valine, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA) for a total of >8000 bp including new sequence data for 13 species. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses resulted in trees supporting recognition of six main suprageneric clades similar in content to those identified in our previous studies. We did not recover strong support for relationships among the main clades along the backbone of the tree, but identified many well-supported clades within all of the major groups. Based on these results, we propose a new classification for Pteropodidae comprising eight subfamilies and 14 tribes, and including several new and/or replacement higher-level taxonomic names for which we provide morphological diagnoses.