The Open Ornithology Journal, 2020

Introduction: South American siskins (Genus Carduelis/Spinus) are the outcome of regional evolutionary radiation from an extant (or other extinct) species: C. notata, a North America siskin, which thrives in Mexico subtropical areas and is parental of one of the three described North American siskin radiations. Methods: Speciation and/or subspeciation of this South American siskin radiation have probably occurred during Pleistocene Epoch. In the present paper, a new species/subspecies akin to C./S. atrata is described by genetic and phenotypic parameters: this new species/subspecies was previously considered a subspecies of C./S. xanthogastra, which thrives further North and is separated about 1,762 km, 1,094 miles, from this described subspecies, Carduelis/ Spinus xanthogastra stejnegeri. Results: Our genetic study using mt cyt b, phenotypic and behavior observations show that this putative C./S. xanthogastra subspecies is either a different species or a C./S. atrata subspecies; we...

Three separate and parallel North American Carduelis evolutionary radiations have been identified. North American siskin radiation (starting about 2.7 million years ago) comprises siskin, Antillean siskin, black-capped siskin, pine siskin and pine siskin perplexus. C. spinus could have passed to America through the Beringia or Greenland coast and, during Pliocene Epoch, reached the Antilles and evolved into Antillean siskin (C. dominicensis), endemic to Hispaniola Island. It is ancestor of pine siskin. Pine Siskin, also a sister taxon of C. spinus, thrives in North America from Alaska to Guatemala since about 0.2 MYA. It lives below the Mexican Isthmus in the highlands from northern Chiapas (Mexico) to western Guatemala. Black-capped siskin (C. atri-ceps) is a sister species of C. spinus, with which it shares habitat and territory. C. pinus green-backed morphs may have been mistaken by C. atriceps which is a grey-backed finch. Mesoamerican goldfinch radiation (starting about 5 million years ago) includes C. tristis (American goldfinch), C. psaltria (lesser goldfinch) and C. lawrencei (Lawrence's goldfinch). They all thrive in western United States and Mexico, down to northern South America. C. psaltria is a North American bird that colonized South American habitats to North Peru and evolved into darker head and back while going southwards. South American siskin radiation started about 3.5 million years ago; parental C. notata thrives in Mexican mountains and successfully colonized South America, giving rise to this radiation. South American Carduelis radiation occurred only when mesothermal plants from the Rocky Mountains invaded the Andean spine after emergence of the Panama Isthmus.

Bush-tanagers (Chlorospingus ophthalmicus) and Chestnut-capped Brush-finches (Atlapetes brunneinucha) was evaluated using allozyme electrophoresis. In both species, although levels of within-population variation are moderate, among-population variation is extreme, including fixed differences among populations. Genetic variation is significantly reduced in some populations on the smallest habitat islands. Differentiation is apparently unrelated to geographic distance among populations, and effects of habitat island size and isolation on genetic differentiation are not clear. Populations of the Sierra de 10s Tuxtlas in Veracruz, however, are strongly differentiated in both species.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2001

South American siskin radiation was studied by both mitochondrial cytochrome b (mt cyt b) DNA sequencing and homologous phenotypic characters; the latter were coded separately according to sex. Mixed phenetic and molecular (total evidence) dendrograms were constructed and the corresponding analyses suggest that speciation started in the South American siskin group with a north to south separation (Carduelis notata/C. barbata) along the Andean spine. A second split may have taken place around the Peruvian Andean mountains, corresponding to the present distribution pattern of C. olivacea. The most recent speciation events seem to have occurred in three sister species pairs: (i) C. xanthogastra/

Chapter Book -Animal Genetics-Phiylogeography of Finches and Sparrows-ISBN: 978-1-60741-844-3, 2009

Fringillidae finches form a subfamily of songbirds (Passeriformes), which are presently distributed around the world. This subfamily includes canaries, goldfinches, greenfinches, rosefinches, and grosbeaks, among others. Molecular phylogenies obtained with mitochondrial DNA sequences show that these groups of finches are put together, but with some polytomies that have apparently evolved or radiated in parallel. The time of appearance on Earth of all studied groups is suggested to start after Middle Miocene Epoch, around 10 million years ago. Greenfinches (genus Carduelis) may have originated at Eurasian desert margins coming from Rhodopechys obsoleta (dessert finch) or an extinct pale plumage ancestor; it later acquired green plumage suitable for the greenfinch ecological niche, i.e.: woods. Multicolored Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) has a genetic extant ancestor, the green-feathered Carduelis citrinella (citril finch); this was thought to be a canary on phonotypical bases, but it is now included within goldfinches by our molecular genetics phylograms. Speciation events between citril finch and Eurasian goldfinch are related with the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (5 million years ago). Linurgus olivaceus (oriole finch) is presently thriving in Equatorial Africa and was included in a separate genus (Linurgus) by itself on phenotypical bases. Our phylograms demonstrate that it is and old canary. Proposed genus Acanthis does not exist. Twite and linnet form a separate radiation from redpolls. Loxia (crossbills) is an evolutive radiation which includes redpolls also. In North America, three Carduelis radiations are found all coming from the Eurasian siskin: 1) that of American goldfinch, 2) the pine siskin one, and 3) the Carduelis notata one, ancestor of all South American siskins.

Ibis, 2008

Introduction: Genus Carduelis (Fringillidae family) includes goldfinches, siskins, redpolls, greenfinches and crossbills. Many of the species classified within this genus and other related genera have been grouped by using molecular systematics and the mitochondrial cytochrome b (mt cyt b) gene. According to this, the Eurasian siskin (C. spinus) is the only one extant direct ancestor of several North American finches; North American / South American radiations may have been originated by Eurasian siskin (or extinct relative). In the present work, we aim to perform a study of transpecies and transcontinental analyses of MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) Class I alleles in several genus Carduelis / Spinus species in order to draw evolutionary conclusions in several wild bird species belonging to the genus Carduelis / Spinus. Materials and Methods: Blood was taken from worldwide wild bird species. Passerine phylogeny was done after analysing mtDNA with Maximun Likelihood and Bayesian dendrograms. Major histocompatibility complex alleles were obtained by standard DNA cloning and sequencing. Results: We found two matches between MHC-I DNA alleles from different South American siskins at DNA level. Also, it was observed that the Eurasian siskin shares a protein with pine siskin and another with three South American siskins. Eight South American siskins species also share the same MHC protein. In addition, studied songbirds MHC class I intron 2 is longer than that of Gallus gallus. Conclusion: We have drawn the following conclusions: 1) We present the first direct evidence that " Minimal Essential MHC " does not exist for birds; one of its main definition characters, i.e.: small intron size does not hold for songbirds. 2) We also report that MHC genes transpecies evolution exist in birds by showing also for the first time that worldwide bird species keep the same MHC protein and DNA alleles. 3) New evidences on MHC alleles conservation from Eurasian Carduelis spinus (most ancient) to South American siskins (most recent) during million years support that Eurasian siskin is the parental species for American Genus Carduelis

Evolution, 2002

Despite the importance of Darwin's finches to the development of evolutionary theory, the origin of the group has only recently been examined using a rigorous, phylogenetic methodology that includes many potential outgroups. Knowing the evolutionary relationships of Darwin's finches to other birds is important for understanding the context from which this adaptive radiation arose. Here we show that analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the cytochrome b gene confirm that Darwin's finches are monophyletic. In addition, many taxa previously proposed as the sister taxon to Darwin's finches can be excluded as their closest living relative. Darwin's finches are part of a wellsupported monophyletic group of species, all of which build a domed nest. All but two of the non-Darwin's finches included in this clade occur on Caribbean islands and most are Caribbean endemics. These close relatives of Darwin's finches show a diversity of bill types and feeding behaviors similar to that observed among Darwin's finches themselves. Recent studies have shown that adaptive evolution in Darwin's finches occurred relatively quickly. Our data show that among the relatives of Darwin's finches, the evolution of bill diversity was also rapid and extensive.

Animal Genetics, 2020

Fringillidae finches form a subfamily of songbirds (Passeriformes), which are presently distributed around the world. This subfamily includes canaries, goldfinches, greenfinches, rosefinches, and grosbeaks, among others. Molecular phylogenies obtained with mitochondrial DNA sequences show that these groups of finches are put together, but with some polytomies that have apparently evolved or radiated in parallel. The time of appearance on Earth of all studied groups is suggested to start after Middle Miocene Epoch, around 10 million years ago. Greenfinches (genus Carduelis) may have originated at Eurasian desert margins coming from Rhodopechys obsoleta (dessert finch) or an extinct pale plumage ancestor; it later acquired green plumage suitable for the greenfinch ecological niche, i.e.: woods. Multicolored Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) has a genetic extant ancestor, the green-feathered Carduelis citrinella (citril finch); this was thought to be a canary on phonotypical bases, but it is now included within goldfinches by our molecular genetics phylograms. Speciation events between citril finch and Eurasian goldfinch are related with the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (5 million years ago). Linurgus olivaceus (oriole finch) is presently thriving in Equatorial Africa and was included in a separate genus (Linurgus) by itself on phenotypical bases. Our phylograms demonstrate that it is and old canary. Proposed genus Acanthis does not exist. Twite and linnet form a separate radiation from redpolls. Loxia (crossbills) is an evolutive radiation which includes redpolls also. In North America, three Carduelis radiations are found all coming from the Eurasian siskin: 1) that of American goldfinch, 2) the pine siskin one, and 3) the Carduelis notata one, ancestor of all South American siskins.