Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight

摘要

Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights?We inferred a phylogeny of woodpeckers using six loci from 203 species.?We discuss issues of convergence, mimicry, and potential hybridization.?We analyzed rates of diversification and biogeographic patterns.AbstractMolecular phylogenetic studies of woodpeckers (Picidae) have generally focused on relationships within specific clades or have sampled sparsely across the family. We compared DNA sequences of six loci from 203 of the 217 recognized species of woodpeckers to construct a comprehensive tree of intrafamilial relationships. We recovered many known, but also numerous unknown, relationships among clades and species. We found, for example, that the three picine