Andreas J. Helbig

Bio: Andreas J. Helbig is an academic researcher from University of Greifswald. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Monophyly. The author has an hindex of 23, co-authored 33 publications receiving 2196 citations.

Guidelines for assigning species rank

Abstract: Developments in several fields of study (including bio-acoustics and the analysis of DNA) together with reappraisals of the nature of species have impacted significantly on avian taxonomy The BOU’

Phylogeny and species limits in the Palaearctic chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita complex: mitochondrial genetic differentiation and bioacoustic evidence†

Abstract: Nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1041 bp), analysis of vocalizations and behavioural evidence from zones of contact were used to reassess the species limits and phylogenetic relationships at the species and subspecies levels in the Phylloscopus collybita complex A new classification is proposed which recognizes four biological species Phylloscopus brehmii (Iberia) and P canariensis (Canary Islands) are genetically and bioacoustically highly distinct There is no mitochondrial gene flow between them or with P collybita The Mountain Chiffchaff P sindianus (with subspecies sindianus and Iorenzii) is equally distinct genetically from southwest Asian subspecies of P collybita (caucasicus, brevirostris) The status of the Siberian form tristis, which shares potentially synapomorphic characters with the Mountain Chiffchaff (ascending song notes, grey-brown adult plumage) but genetically closely resembles P c collybita and P c abietinus, remains uncertain In two zones of secondary contact between taxa with “greenish” (P collybita) and brownish plumage, hybridization is either unrecorded (caucasicus v lorenzii, Caucasus Mountains) or its extent is insufficiently known (abietinus v tristis, west of Ural Mountains) A phylogeny reconstructed from nucleotide sequences agrees with one based on song and some morphological characters in identifying P brehmii as the oldest branch within the chiffchaff group Of the remaining taxa, four fall into a clade with greenish plumage (P collybita ssp), two into one with brownish plumage (P s sindianus, P s lorenzii), while the position of P canariensis with respect to these two clades is uncertain Molecular and phenotypic phylogenies contradict each other regarding the affinities of P (ssp?) tristis

The herring gull complex is not a ring species.

Abstract: Under what circumstances speciation in sexually reproducing animals can occur without geographical disjunction is still controversial. According to the ring-species model, a reproductive barrier may arise through 'isolation by distance' when peripheral populations of a species meet after expanding around some uninhabitable barrier. The classical example of this kind of speciation is the herring gull (Larus argentatus) complex, with a circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. Based on mitochondrial DNA variation among 21 gull taxa, we show that members of this complex differentiated largely in allopatry following multiple vicariance and long-distance-colonization events, not primarily through isolation by distance. Reproductive isolation evolved more rapidly between some lineages than between others, irrespective of their genetic distance. Extant taxa are the result of divergent as well as reticulate evolution between two ancestral lineages originally separated in a North Atlantic refugium and a continental Eurasian refugium, respectively. Continental birds expanded along the entire north Eurasian coast and via Beringia into North America. Contrary to the ring-species model, we find no genetic evidence for a closure of the circumpolar ring through colonization of Europe by North American herring gulls. However, closure of the ring in the opposite direction may be imminent, with lesser black-backed gulls about to colonize North America.

Historical diversification of migration patterns in a passerine bird

Abstract: Migratory strategies of birds require complex orientation mechanisms, morphological adaptations, and life-history adjustments. From an evolutionary perspective, it is important to know how fast this complex combination of traits can evolve. We analyzed mitochondrial control-region DNA sequences in 241 blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) from 12 populations with different migratory behaviors. The sample included sedentary populations in Europe and Atlantic archipelagos and migratory populations with different distances of migration, from regional to intercontinental migrations, and different heading directions (due to a migratory divide in central Europe). There was no genetic structure between migratory and sedentary populations, or among populations from different biogeographic areas (Atlantic islands, the Iberian Peninsula, or the continent), however we found evidence of a genetic structure when comparing populations located on either side of the migratory divide. These findings support an independent evolution of highly divergent migratory strategies in blackcaps, occurring after a postglacial colonization of the continent along western and eastern routes. Accordingly, mismatch-distribution analyses suggested an expansion of blackcaps from a very small population size, and time estimates dated such an expansion during the last postglacial period. However, the populations in Gibraltar, located in a putative Mediterranean refuge, appeared to be independent of these processes, showing evidence of restricted gene flow with other populations and demonstrating insignificant historical changes in effective population size. Our results show that the interruption of gene flow between migratory and sedentary populations is not necessary for the maintenance of such a polymorphism, and that even the most divergent migratory strategies of a bird species are susceptible to evolution in response to historical environmental changes.

Evolution of breeding distributions in the old world leaf warblers (genus phylloscopus).

Abstract: Among Palearctic warblers of the genus Phylloscopus those species that breed farther north occupy larger geographical ranges than those which breed farther south (Rapoport's rule). We suggest that much of this pattern is a consequence of the differential ability of species to occupy areas rendered inhospitable during the Pleistocene. In support of this suggestion, the midpoint of breeding range in a north-south direction has been an exceptionally labile trait through evolutionary time. Comparisons of ecological attributes of those species breeding in the Himalayas with close relatives in Siberia implies a role for habitat tracking in determining which species have been able to colonize northern areas; hypotheses based on climate and climatic variability have less support. In addition there is a likely role for geographic barriers and/or biotic interactions in preventing some taxa from spreading from small southern ranges.

Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

Abstract: The relationship between the two estimates of genetic variation at the DNA level, namely the number of segregating sites and the average number of nucleotide differences estimated from pairwise comparison, is investigated. It is found that the correlation between these two estimates is large when the sample size is small, and decreases slowly as the sample size increases. Using the relationship obtained, a statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis is developed. This method needs only the data of DNA polymorphism, namely the genetic variation within population at the DNA level. A simple method of computer simulation, that was used in order to obtain the distribution of a new statistic developed, is also presented. Applying this statistical method to the five regions of DNA sequences in Drosophila melanogaster, it is found that large insertion/deletion (greater than 100 bp) is deleterious. It is suggested that the natural selection against large insertion/deletion is so weak that a large amount of variation is maintained in a population.

Niche Conservatism: Integrating Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation Biology

Abstract: ▪ Abstract Niche conservatism is the tendency of species to retain ancestral ecological characteristics. In the recent literature, a debate has emerged as to whether niches are conserved. We suggest that simply testing whether niches are conserved is not by itself particularly helpful or interesting and that a more useful focus is on the patterns that niche conservatism may (or may not) create. We focus specifically on how niche conservatism in climatic tolerances may limit geographic range expansion and how this one type of niche conservatism may be important in (a) allopatric speciation, (b) historical biogeography, (c) patterns of species richness, (d) community structure, (e) the spread of invasive, human-introduced species, (f) responses of species to global climate change, and (g) human history, from 13,000 years ago to the present. We describe how these effects of niche conservatism can be examined with new tools for ecological niche modeling.

Conserving biodiversity under climate change: the rear edge matters.

Abstract: Modern climate change is producing poleward range shifts of numerous taxa, communities and ecosystems worldwide. The response of species to changing environments is likely to be determined largely by population responses at range margins. In contrast to the expanding edge, the low-latitude limit (rear edge) of species ranges remains understudied, and the critical importance of rear edge populations as long-term stores of species' genetic diversity and foci of speciation has been little acknowledged. We review recent findings from the fossil record, phylogeography and ecology to illustrate that rear edge populations are often disproportionately important for the survival and evolution of biota. Their ecological features, dynamics and conservation requirements differ from those of populations in other parts of the range, and some commonly recommended conservation practices might therefore be of little use or even counterproductive for rear edge populations.

Ecology and the origin of species

Abstract: The ecological hypothesis of speciation is that reproductive isolation evolves ultimately as a consequence of divergent natural selection on traits between environments. Ecological speciation is general and might occur in allopatry or sympatry, involve many agents of natural selection, and result from a combination of adaptive processes. The main difficulty of the ecological hypothesis has been the scarcity of examples from nature, but several potential cases have recently emerged. I review the mechanisms that give rise to new species by divergent selection, compare ecological speciation with its alternatives, summarize recent tests in nature, and highlight areas requiring research.

Phylogenetic niche conservatism, phylogenetic signal and the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and ecological similarity among species

Abstract: Ecologists are increasingly adopting an evolutionary perspective, and in recent years, the idea that closely related species are ecologically similar has become widespread. In this regard, phylogenetic signal must be distinguished from phylogenetic niche conservatism. Phylogenetic niche conservatism results when closely related species are more ecologically similar that would be expected based on their phylogenetic relationships; its occurrence suggests that some process is constraining divergence among closely related species. In contrast, phylogenetic signal refers to the situation in which ecological similarity between species is related to phylogenetic relatedness; this is the expected outcome of Brownian motion divergence and thus is necessary, but not sufficient, evidence for the existence of phylogenetic niche conservatism. Although many workers consider phylogenetic niche conservatism to be common, a review of case studies indicates that ecological and phylogenetic similarities often are not related. Consequently, ecologists should not assume that phylogenetic niche conservatism exists, but rather should empirically examine the extent to which it occurs.