Birds, the most species‐rich monophyletic group of land vertebrates, have been subject to
some of the most intense sequencing efforts to date, making them an ideal case study for …

Half a century after its foundation, the neutral theory of molecular evolution continues to
attract controversy. The debate has been hampered by the coexistence of different …

To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic
analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods …

Genome size in mammals and birds shows remarkably little interspecific variation compared
with other taxa. However, genome sequencing has revealed that many mammal and bird …

Global climate fluctuations have significantly influenced the distribution and abundance of
biodiversity [1]. During unfavorable glacial periods, many species experienced range …

The fidelity of DNA replication together with repair mechanisms ensure that the genetic
material is properly copied from one generation to another. However, on extremely rare …

Due to their limited ranges and inherent isolation, island species have long been recognized
as crucial systems for tackling a range of evolutionary questions, including in the early study …

Survivorship following major mass extinctions may be associated with a decrease in body
size—a phenomenon called the Lilliput Effect. Body size is a strong predictor of many life …

According to current assemblies, avian genomes differ from those of the other lineages of
amniotes in 1) containing a lower number of genes; 2) displaying a high stability of …

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 …