DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Phylogenetic and color structure in Andean hummingbird communities

这个项目的目标是了解蜂鸟群落中颜色多样性是如何组织的。在热带山地森林中，这些群落有大量共存物种(即每平方公里多达20个物种)和多种多样的颜色表型。共存鸟类之间的颜色差异被认为是物种识别或对环境适应的结果。这些假说将通过分析共存蜂鸟物种之间进化关系和颜色表型的分布模式来解决。初步分析表明，蜂鸟不同羽片的颜色变化由不同的机制驱动。例如，涉及攻击性或繁殖性展示的羽片的颜色在不同物种之间是不同的，并从背景中突出，而背面羽毛的颜色在物种之间和背景中相似。这些结果强调了蜂鸟颜色的高度易感性，但也强调了身体不同部位所扮演的不同角色。颜色是鸟类进化过程中的一个重要特征，也是区分鸟类种类的主要特征。这个项目的结果将提供一个基线，我们可以从这个基线上更好地了解鸟类群落中存在的显着的颜色多样性。

The goal of this project is to understand how color diversity is organized in hummingbird communities. In tropical mountain forests, these communities have high numbers of coexisting species (i.e., up to 20 species in a squared kilometer) and a varied array of color phenotypes. Color variation among coexisting bird species is presumed to be the result of either species recognition or adaptation to the environment. These hypotheses will be addressed by analyzing patterns in the distribution of evolutionary relationships and color phenotypes among coexisting hummingbird species. Preliminary analyses indicate that color variation in different feather patches in hummingbirds is driven by different mechanisms. For example, coloration in feather patches involved in aggressive or breeding displays is variable among species and stands out from the background, whereas coloration in the back feathers is similar among species and to the background. These results emphasize the high lability of coloration in hummingbirds but also the different roles played by different parts of the body. Coloration is an important trait in avian evolution and it is the main character used to identify bird species. Results of this project will provide a baseline from which we can better understand the remarkable color diversity present in avian communities.