The increased capacity of DNA sequencing has significantly advanced our understanding of
the phylogeny of birds and the proximate and ultimate mechanisms molding their genomic …

A core question in evolutionary biology is whether convergent phenotypic evolution is driven
by convergent molecular changes in proteins or regulatory regions. We combined …

Genetic studies of rare and endangered species often focus on defining and preserving
genetically distinct populations, especially those having unique adaptations [1, 2]. Much less …

Synchrony of biological processes with environmental cues developed over millennia to
match growth, reproduction and senescence. This entails a complex interplay of genetic …

Birds are renowned for their exceptional vision and the way that this enables them to survive
and navigate the world in such a unique way. However, it is now recognised that avian …

Palaeognathae represent one of the two basal lineages in modern birds, and comprise the
volant (flighted) tinamous and the flightless ratites. Resolving palaeognath phylogenetic …

Molecular dating largely overturned the paradigm that global cooling during recent
Pleistocene glacial cycles resulted in a burst of species diversification although some …

When a high‐quality genome assembly of a target species is unavailable, an option to avoid
the costly de novo assembly process is a map**‐based assembly. However, map** …

Reconstructing relationships among extant birds (Neornithes) has been one of the most
difficult problems in phylogenetics, and, despite intensive effort, the avian tree of life remains …

Palaeognaths, the sister group of all other living birds (neognaths), were once considered to
be vicariant relics from the breakup of the Gondwanan supercontinent. However, recent …