Evolutionary significance of the variation in acoustic communication of a cryptic nocturnal primate radiation (Microcebus spp.).

摘要: Acoustic phenotypic variation is of major importance for speciation and the evolution species diversity. Whereas selective stochastic forces shaping acoustic divergence signaling systems are well studied in insects, frogs, birds, knowledge on processes driving mammals limited. We quantified a call type exchanged during agonistic encounters across eight distinct smallest‐bodied nocturnal primate radiation, Malagasy mouse lemurs. The live two different habitats (dry forest vs. humid forest), differ geographic distance to each other, belong four phylogenetic clades within genus. Genetically defined were discriminated reliably level based their distinctiveness discriminant function analysis. was explained by genetic distance, whereas differences morphology, type, or had no effect. strong impact genetics supported correlation between high agreement branching pattern molecular trees. In sum, factors such as drift best diversification social communication