Gene

Macroevolution

Plumage

Phyletic gradualism

Ecology

Biology

Sexual selection

Predation

Selection (genetic algorithm)

Biochemistry

Computer science

Evolutionary biology

Crypsis

Camouflage

Clade

Phylogenetics

Artificial intelligence

Lizard

Zoology

Anolis

Natural selection

Evolution

EvolutionVolume 73, Issue 4 p. 704-719 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Fifty shades of brown: Macroevolution of plumage brightness in the Furnariida, a large clade of drab Neotropical passerines Rafael S. Marcondes, Rafael S. Marcondes rmarco3@lsu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-1242-3217 Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803Search for more papers by this authorRobb T. Brumfield, Robb T. Brumfield orcid.org/0000-0003-2307-0688 Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803Search for more papers by this author Rafael S. Marcondes, Rafael S. Marcondes rmarco3@lsu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-1242-3217 Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803Search for more papers by this authorRobb T. Brumfield, Robb T. Brumfield orcid.org/0000-0003-2307-0688 Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803Search for more papers by this author First published: 28 February 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13707Citations: 17Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Both natural and sexual selection are thought to affect the evolution of bird color. Most studies of the topic have focused on sexually dichromatic taxa and showy plumages, which are expected to be more influenced by social selection and usually result in increased conspicuousness. However, many bird clades display dull brown or gray plumages that vary greatly in brightness (lightness), but little in hue (shade). Here, we examine the macroevolution of brightness in one such clade, the Furnariida. We make comparisons across light environments, body parts, monochromatic lineages, and each sex of dichromatic lineages. We found that support for models including light environments is greater for the dorsum than for the venter, and that brightness evolution is more constrained in the former than in the latter. Plumages in this clade have evolved to be darker in darker habitats, consistent with natural selection for increased crypsis. Finally, the features of brightness macroevolution are broadly similar across the sexes of the dichromatic clade, challenging the view that sexual dichromatism is driven by different evolutionary processes acting in each sex. We conclude that, in the Furnariida, light environments and dorsal–ventral variation are more important than sex as axes of color evolution. Citing Literature Supporting Information Filename Description evo13707-sup-0001-FigureS1.pdf133.1 KB Supplementary Figure 1. evo13707-sup-0002-FigureS1.pdf92.8 KB Supplementary Figure 2. evo13707-sup-0003-FigureS1.pdf92.8 KB Supplementary Figure 3. evo13707-sup-0004-SuppMat.docx69.9 KB Figure SR1. AICc weights for models fitted to plumage brightness of each sex in the dichromatic clade. Table SR1. Parameter estimates from models fitted to plumage brightness data for each sex of the monochromatic clade. Table SR2. Support for models fitted to minor phylogenetic principal components in each dataset. Supplementary Results. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. Volume73, Issue4April 2019Pages 704-719 RelatedInformation

Fifty shades of brown: Macroevolution of plumage brightness in the Furnariida, a large clade of drab Neotropical passerines