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Studying macroevolutionary patterns of phenotypic variation and their
driving forces in large radiations can shed light on how biodiversity is
generated across broad spatiotemporal scales. In this study, we integrated
song and morphological variation across more than 300 species representing
the largest family of songbirds, the tanagers (Thraupidae), to uncover how
morphological variables of the vocal tract combine to shape vocal
evolution on a macroevolutionary scale. We found that body size correlated
with multiple frequency parameters, concurring with past studies that show
how body size constrains vocal evolution. Furthermore, bill size predicted
multiple frequency and temporal song characters while bill shape was
strongly associated with trill rates, suggesting that bill size and shape
both constrain distinct elements of avian song independently of body size
covariation. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between
morphology and song exhibits modular variation when expanded to a
macroevolutionary scale. Furthermore, our study emphasizes the need to
consider multiple components of the avian vocal tract when exploring the
macroevolutionary interplay of morphological traits and acoustic signals.
324 views reported since publication in 2021.