New Papers

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

These just in:

  Kimball, R.T. and Ligon, J.D. 1999. Evolution of
avian plumage dichromatism from a proximate
perspective. _American Naturalist_ 154: 182-193.

  [uses a series of studies showing hormone (estrogen,
testosterone, lutenizing hormone, and non-hormone)
-induced dichromatism can be used to recapitulate
Silbey and Alquist (1990) in their study of bird
evolution. *Struthio*, *Gallus*, and *Anas* plot out
as primitively estrogen-based, *Larus* and
*Phalaropus* as testosterone-based, and *Estrilda* as
lutenizing hormone-based. Plotted alongside a
character- or gene-based tree, such as Silbey and
Alquist (1990), this produces the presented tree (fig.
1 in the paper, pg. 186):

+--+--Struthio
   +--+--+--Anas   --|
      |  +--Gallus   |__Neognathae
      +--+--Larus    |
         +--Passer --|

  Passeriformes show a variance in lutenizing-hormone
and non-hormone--based dischromatism (with *Passer*
being the hold out in the study), while the others are
more cut and dry. Struthio is the sole paleognath
tested, while 8 galliform genera, one anseriform (2
species) genus, 4 charadriiform (3 species for
*Larus*), and 8 passeriform (2 species for
*Euplectes*) were tested. Argument for
Anseriform/Galliform monophyly is given, but I will
have to read through the paper with a biology
dictionary to get clear of the studies. WHEW!]

---

  Hedenstroem, A. 1999. How birds became airborne.
_TREE_ 14 (10): 375-376.

  [nothing new, pretty much describes the up/down
dichotomy on the subject.]

---

_Science News_ is, of course, carrying the new
Liaoning finds, and _Nat. Geo._ reports a future
article will once again cover the fossils in Liaoning,
after *S. millennii* becomes more passe'. Yeah, right.

  Your eye on the shelves, for whatever pathetic
journals I do have access to,


=====
Jaime "James" A. Headden

"Come the path that leads us to our fortune."

Qilong---is temporarily out of service.
Check back soon.
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