I am an American evolutionary biologist, based at Rutgers University, where I specialize in biodiversity, evolution, and genomics. Drop me a note, here. Thanks for your readership and support.
Around 66 million years ago, a catastrophic event known as the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction wiped out nearly 75% of Earth’s species, including the non-avian dinosaurs. This dramatic event drastically altered the course of life on Earth, especially aerial life.. In the aftermath, birds evolved rapidly, adapting to a variety of ecological niches, leading to the diversity in avian species we see today.
The phylogenetic tree from the study refines our understanding of four major lineages within the group of birds known as Neoaves, which comprises nearly all modern birds:While the first three classifications have been long validated in ornithology, the resolution of “Elementaves” as a separate group is a novel finding of the study. This group is characterized by members that have adapted to a wide range of environments—land, air and water.
As odd as these pairings might sound at first, understanding how these birds evolved can help us make sense of why the genomic data place them within the same evolutionary lineage. Here’s what we know about the evolution of these Elementaves.Elementaves are a fascinating example of how birds have evolved to exploit different ecological niches through diverse adaptations. This process is reminiscent of Darwin's finches in the Galapagos Islands, but it occurred over a much longer timescale.
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