Abstract: The Klicka lab has recently been collaborating to produce the first family-wide molecular phylogeny of Vireonidae. We sampled 221 individuals from 46 of 52 currently recognized species and inferred Bayesian and maximum likelihood-based phylogenies using mitochondrial and Z-linked loci. Our phylogenetic evidence is consistent with a single colonization of the New World by a common ancestor of extant Vireonidae. We found the greenlets (genus Hylophilus) to be polyphyletic, and major clades were largely concordant with morphological and ecological divisions. Relationships within an “eye-ringed” clade showed a major radiation across the Caribbean islands, and a “spectacled” clade indicated a likely case of species paraphyly. Dense sampling within some tropical species revealed high levels of intraspecific population genetic structure, highlighting the need for additional sampling to evaluate potential cryptic species diversity.
UW Biology Graduate Student Symposium 