Convergent evolution of bird-mammal shared characteristics for adapting to nocturnality

The diapsid lineage (birds) and synapsid lineage (mammals), share a suite of functionally similar characteristics (e.g., endothermy) that are considered to be a result of their convergent evolution, but the candidate selections leading to this convergent evolution are still under debates. Here, we used a newly developed molecular phyloecological approach to reconstruct the diel activity pattern of the common ancestors of living birds. Our results strongly suggest that they had adaptations to nocturnality during their early evolution, which is remarkably similar to that of ancestral mammals. Given their similar adaptation to nocturnality, we propose that the shared traits in birds and mammals may have evolved as a result of the convergent evolution of their early ancestors adapting to ecological factors (e.g., low ambient temperature) associated with nocturnality. Finally, a conceptually unifying ecological model on the evolution of endothermy in diverse organisms with an emphasis on low ambient temperature is proposed. We reason that endothermy may evolve as an adaptive strategy to enable organisms to effectively implement various life cycle activities under relatively low-temperature environments. In particular, a habitat shift from high-temperature to relatively low-temperature environments is identified as a common factor underlying the evolution of endothermy.