Evolutionary patterns of diversification in the Andean hummingbird genus Adelomyia

The patterns of genetic diversity and morphological variation are of central importance in understanding the evolutionary process that drive diversification. We use molecular, morphological, and ecological data to explore the influence of geography and ecology in promoting speciation in the widespread Andean hummingbird genus Adelomyia. Six monophyletic clades were recovered which show distributional limits at well-defined geographic barriers. Percentage sequence divergence ranged between 5.8% and 8.2% between phylogroups separated by large (>4000 km) and small (<50 km) distances respectively, suggesting that geographic isolation may be influential at very different scales. We show that morphological traits in independent phylogroups are more related to environmental heterogeneity than to geographic barriers. We provide a molecular reconstruction of relationships within Adelomyia and recommend its use in future comparative studies of historical biogeography and diversification in the Andes.

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► Six monophyletic lineages in Adelomyia have limits at defined geographic barriers.
► Ecology is important in promoting morphological differentiation.
► Current taxonomy underestimates the level of genetic differentiation in Adelomyia.