Contact and hybrid zone hotspots and evolution of birds in the Middle East  

作　　者：Mansour Aliabadian Mohammad Kaboli Bahram Kiabi Vincent Nijman 

机构地区：[1]Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,Zoological Museum,University of Amsterdam,1090 GT Amsterdam,The Netherlands,Department of Biology,Faculty of Sciences,Feredowsi University,Mashad,Iran [2]Department of Fishery and Environment,Faculty of Natural Resources,Tehran University,Iran [3]Department of Biology,Faculty of Sciences,University of Shahid Beheshti,Tehran,Iran [4]Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,Zoological Museum,University of Amsterdam,1090 GT Amsterdam,The Netherlands

出　　处：《Progress in Natural Science:Materials International》2007年第9期1114-1118,共5页自然科学进展·国际材料（英文版）

基　　金：Supported by the Iranian Ministry of Science;Technology and the PA Hens Memorial Fund

摘　　要：The Middle East is an important contact zone for a considerable number of bird taxa from the western and eastern Palearctic and from the great Saharo-Sindian desert belt.Using WORLDMAP software,we analyzed the geographical distribution of secondary contact zones for parapatric species pairs of birds in the Middle East.We identified 56 species(29 species pairs)that make contact in the Middle East.The species pairs belong to three orders,i.e.Falconiformes,Piciformes,and Passeriformes.Almost half(46%)of these species pairs hybridize in their contact zones.Although contact zones occur over a large part of northern Middle East,spatially they were not evenly distributed.Contact zone richness was highest in the mountain ranges south of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus.The hottest hotspots,where up to nine bird species pairs occur sympatrically,are situated in north-eastern Iran and Azerbaijan.We discuss the relevance of these hotspots for improving our understanding of the biogeography and evolution of the avifauna in the Middle East.The Middle East is an important contact zone for a considerable number of bird taxa from the western and eastern Palearctic and from the great Saharo-Sindian desert belt. Using WORLDMAP software, we analyzed the geographical distribution of secondary contact zones for parapatric species pairs of birds in the Middle East. We identified 56 species （29 species pairs） that make contact in the Middle East. The species pairs belong to three orders, i.e. Falconiformes, Piciformes, and Passeriformes. Almost half （46%） of these species pairs hybridize in their contact zones. Although contact zones occur over a large part of northern Middle East, spatially they were not evenly distributed. Contact zone richness was highest in the mountain ranges south of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. The hottest hotspots, where up to nine bird species pairs occur sympatrically, are situated in north-eastern Iran and Azerbaijan. We discuss the relevance of these hotspots for improving our understanding of the biogeography and evolution of the avifauna in the Middle East.

关 键 词：contact zone HYBRIDISATION Middle East parapatry species-pairs ZOOGEOGRAPHY 

分 类 号：Q951[生物学—动物学]