Drivers of Phylogenetic Assemblage Structure of the Furnariides, a Widespread Clade of Lowland Neotropical Birds

AbstractSpecies co-occurrence in local assemblages is shaped by distinct processes at different spatial and temporal scales. Here we focus on historical explanations and examine the phylogenetic structure of local assemblages of the Furnariides clade (Aves: Passeriformes), assessing the influence of diversification rates on the assembly and species co-occurrence within those assemblages. Using 120 local assemblages across Bolivia and Argentina and a nearly complete phylogeny for the clade, we analyzed assemblage phylogenetic structure, applying a recently developed model (DAMOCLES, or dynamic assembly model of colonization, local extinction, and speciation) accounting for the historical processes of speciation, colonization, and local extinction. We also evaluated how diversification rates determine species co-occurrence. We found that the assembly of Furnariides assemblages can be explained largely by speciation, colonization, and local extinction without invoking current local species interactions. Phyl...