Asynchronous evolution of interdependent nest characters across the avian phylogeny

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 1863 - 8
• Main Authors: Fang, Yi-Ting, Tuanmu, Mao-Ning, Hung, Chih-Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14.05.2018; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158/857; 631/181/757; Animals; Attachment; Biological Evolution; Birds; Birds - classification; Birds - physiology; Evolution; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Male; multidisciplinary; Nest building; Nesting Behavior - physiology; Nests; Phylogeny; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)

Nest building is a widespread behavior among birds that reflects their adaptation to the environment and evolutionary history. However, it remains unclear how nests evolve and how their evolution relates to the bird phylogeny. Here, by examining the evolution of three nest characters—structure, site...