Morphological convergence is defined here as evolution toward similar dimensions of traits in unrelated animals that live in the same or similar environments. Because a genus is a taxonomic unit in which differences among congeners represent directional changes in morphology from a common ancestor, I look for evidence of morphological convergence by comparing sets of congeneric species of birds that breed in peatland habitats of northern Minnesota and eastern Finland. / I identified similar peatland habitats in Finland and in Minnesota in a space determined by discriminant function analysis. Shrub areas and coniferous forest areas were similar to shrub areas and coniferous forest areas, respectively, regardless of continent. Therefore, I identified four genera in Minnesota, Zonotrichia, Spizella, Geothlypis, and Dendroica, and one in Finland, Emberiza, with species in shrub and in coniferous forest peatlands and compared their morphology. / The species in shrub vegetation were smaller, had relatively longer pelves and legs, and had wider and shallower sterna compared with their congeners in coniferous forest. With the exception of Emberiza, the length of the bill and the length of the wings were also relatively longer for the shrub-dwelling peatland species. Warblers breeding in shrub peatlands had relatively deeper and wider bills, but sparrows had relatively shallower and narrower bills compared with their congeners in coniferous forests. / These results indicate significant (p = .03) directional patterns among taxonomically distantly-related genera for morphology associated with movement through the vegetation. Morphology associated with feeding, however, shows trends at a familial level that probably reflect differences in diet and behavior between sparrows and warblers. The consistency of the patterns emphasizes (1) the relationship between morphology and habitat structure or behavior, and (2) the likelihood of a common underlying mechanism for these patterns. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, Section: B, page: 0401. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75058 |
| Contributors | NIEMI, GERALD JOHN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 157 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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