Phylogenetic signal in the circadian rhythm of morphologically convergent species of Neotropical deer

Abstract

Deer species included in the genus Mazama descend from two different clades that experienced a strong evolutionary convergence in morphology and behaviour when they adapted to Neotropical forests. We would expect that circadian activity rhythms also converged according to habitat features or responded to temporal niche segregation in sympatric species. We used camera trapping in four study areas, representing three main biomes in Brazil, together with data taken from the literature, to analyse activity patterns of five Mazama species in four biomes in South America. Our results show that clade assignment was the main predictor of diurnal versus nocturnal activity, thus suggesting a phylogenetic constraint rather than any other ecological influence on circadian activity. We discuss how the evolutionary history of both lineages may have influenced their activity patterns.