Phylogenetic conservatism and biogeographic affinity influence woody plant species richness–climate relationships in eastern Eurasia

Mechanisms underlying species richness patterns remain a central yet controversial issue in biology. Climate has been regarded as a major determinant of species richness. However, the relative influences of different evolutionary processes, (i.e. niche conservatism, diversification rate and time for speciation) on species richness–climate relationships remain to be tested. Here, using newly compiled distribution maps for 11 422 woody plant species in eastern Eurasia, we estimated species richness patterns for all species and for families with tropical and temperate affinities separately, and explored the phylogenetic signals in species richness patterns of different families and their relationships with contemporary climate and climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We further compared the effects of niche conservatism (represented by contemporary-ancestral climatic niches differences), diversification rate and time for speciation (represented by family age) on variation in the slopes of species richness–climate relationships. We found that winter coldness was the best predictor for species richness patterns of most tropical families while Quaternary climate change was the best predictor for those of most temperate families. Species richness patterns of closely-related families were more similar than those of distantly-related families within eudicots, and significant phylogenetic signals characterized the slopes of species richness–climate relationships across all angiosperm families. Contemporary-ancestral climatic niche differences dominated variation in the relationships between family-level species richness and most climate variables. Our results indicate significant phylogenetic conservatism in family-level species richness patterns and their relationships with contemporary climate within eudicots. These findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying large-scale species richness patterns and suggest that ancestral climatic niche may influence the evolution of species richness–climate relationships in plants through niche conservatism.     

Phylogenetic properties of Tertiary relict flora in the east Asian continental islands: imprint of climatic niche conservatism and in situ diversification

Understanding biodiversity patterns on islands has long been a central aim in ecology and conservation biology. Island‐specific biogeographical processes play substantial roles in the formation of endemic biota. Here, we examined how climate niche conservatism and geohistorical factors are interactively associated with in situ diversification of Tertiary relict flora in the east Asian continental islands. We generated two novel datasets for species distribution and phylogeny that included all of the known vascular plant species in Japan (5575). Then we tested phylogenetic signal of climatic tolerance, in terms of absolute minimum temperature and water balance, and explored environmental predictors of phylogenetic structure (evolutionary derivedness and clustering) of species assemblages. Although phylogenetic signal of climatic tolerance was significant across the phylogeny of most species, the strength of climatic niche conservatism differed among ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperm trees, and angiosperm herbs. For angiosperm trees, cold temperatures acted as environmental filters that generated phylogenetic derivedness/clustering of species assemblages. For fern and angiosperm herb species, however, phylogenetic properties were not associated with climatic harshness. These contrasting patterns among groups reflected climate niche evolution in vascular plants with different growth forms and traits; for example, diversification of angiosperm trees (but not fern and herb) occurred in response to historical climatic cooling. More importantly, geographical constraints contributed to evolutionary radiation that resulted from isolation by distance from the continent or by elevation. Quaternary climate change was also associated with clade‐specific radiation in refugial habitats. The degree to which geographical, geological, and palaeoclimatic variables explain the phylogenetic structure underscores the importance of isolation‐ and habitat‐stability‐related geohistorical processes in driving in situ diversification despite climatic niche conservatism. We propose that the highly endemic flora of the east Asian islands resulted from the interplay of idiosyncratic regional factors, and ecological and evolutionary processes, such as climate niche assembly and adaptive/nonadaptive radiation.     

Phylogenetic assemblage structure of North American trees is more strongly shaped by glacial–interglacial climate variability in gymnosperms than in angiosperms

How fast does biodiversity respond to climate change? The relationship of past and current climate with phylogenetic assemblage structure helps us to understand this question. Studies of angiosperm tree diversity in North America have already suggested effects of current water–energy balance and tropical niche conservatism. However, the role of glacial–interglacial climate variability remains to be determined, and little is known about any of these relationships for gymnosperms. Moreover, phylogenetic endemism, the concentration of unique lineages in restricted ranges, may also be related to glacial–interglacial climate variability and needs more attention. We used a refined phylogeny of both angiosperms and gymnosperms to map phylogenetic diversity, clustering and endemism of North American trees in 100‐km grid cells, and climate change velocity since Last Glacial Maximum together with postglacial accessibility to recolonization to quantify glacial–interglacial climate variability. We found: (1) Current climate is the dominant factor explaining the overall patterns, with more clustered angiosperm assemblages toward lower temperature, consistent with tropical niche conservatism. (2) Long‐term climate stability is associated with higher angiosperm endemism, while higher postglacial accessibility is linked to to more phylogenetic clustering and endemism in gymnosperms. (3) Factors linked to glacial–interglacial climate change have stronger effects on gymnosperms than on angiosperms. These results suggest that paleoclimate legacies supplement current climate in shaping phylogenetic patterns in North American trees, and especially so for gymnosperms.     

Phylogenetic structure and phylogenetic diversity of angiosperm assemblages in forests along an elevational gradient in Changbaishan,China

Aims Understanding what drives the variation in species composition and diversity among local communities can provide insights into the mechanisms of community assembly. Because ecological traits are often thought to be phylogenetically conserved, there should be patterns in phylogenetic structure and phylogenetic diversity in local communities along ecological gradients. We investigate potential patterns in angiosperm assemblages along an elevational gradient with a steep ecological gradient in Changbaishan, China.Methods We used 13 angiosperm assemblages in forest plots (32×32 m) distributed along an elevational gradient from 720 to 1900 m above sea level. We used Faith's phylogenetic diversity metric to quantify the phylogenetic alpha diversity of each forest plot, used the net relatedness index to quantify the degree of phylogenetic relatedness among angiosperm species within each forest plot and used a phylogenetic dissimilarity index to quantify phylogenetic beta diversity among forest plots. We related the measures of phylogenetic structure and phylogenetic diversity to environmental (climatic and edaphic) factors.Important findings Our study showed that angiosperm assemblages tended to be more phylogenetically clustered at higher elevations in Changbaishan. This finding is consistent with the prediction of the phylogenetic niche conservatism hypothesis, which highlights the role of niche constraints in governing the phylogenetic structure of assemblages. Our study also showed that woody assemblages differ from herbaceous assemblages in several major aspects. First, phylogenetic clustering dominated in woody assemblages, whereas phylogenetic overdispersion dominated in herbaceous assemblages; second, patterns in phylogenetic relatedness along the elevational and temperature gradients of Changbaishan were stronger for woody assemblages than for herbaceous assemblages; third, environmental variables explained much more variations in phylogenetic relatedness, phylogenetic alpha diversity and phylogenetic beta diversity for woody assemblages than for herbaceous assemblages.     

Ecological and evolutionary constraints on regional avifauna of passerines in China

Strong correlations between species diversity and climate have been widely observed, but the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. Here, we explored the causes of the richness–climate relationships among passerine birds in China by integrating tropical conservatism and diversification rate hypotheses using path models. We found that assemblages with higher species richness southwest of the Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide are phylogenetically overdispersed and have shorter mean root distances (MRDs), while species-rich regions northeast of this divide (e.g., north Hengduan Mountains–south Qinling Mountains) are phylogenetically clustered and have longer MRDs. The results of the path analyses showed that the direct effect of climatic factors on species richness was stronger than their indirect effects on species richness via phylogenetic relatedness, indicating that neither tropical conservatism nor diversification rate hypotheses can well explain the richness–climate relationship among passerines in China. However, when path analyses were conducted within subregions separately, we found that the tropical conservatism hypothesis was well supported in the southwestern Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide, while the diversification rate hypothesis could explain the richness–climate relationship well in the northeastern divide. We conclude that the diversity patterns of passerines in different subregions of the Eastern Himalayas-Mountains of Southwest China may be shaped by different evolutionary processes related to geological and climatic histories, which explains why the tropical conservatism or diversification rate hypothesis alone cannot fully explain the richness–climate relationships.     

Trait evolution rates shape continental patterns of species richness in North America's most diverse angiosperm genus (Carex,Cyperaceae)

Ecological opportunity has been associated with increases in diversification rates across the tree of life. Under an ecological diversification model, the emergence of novel environments is hypothesized to promote morpho- and ecospace evolution. Whether this model holds at the clade level within the most species-rich angiosperm genus found in North America (Carex, Cyperaceae) is yet to be tested. Recent works demonstrate a temporal coupling of climate cooling and widespread colonization of Carex in North America, implicating ecological diversification. In addition, research has consistently found asymmetric patterns of lineage-level diversification in the genus. Why does variation in clade sizes exist in the genus? Is ecological diversification involved? In this study, we tested whether rates of morphological and ecological trait evolution are correlated with clade-level species richness in Carex of North America north of Mexico. We constructed a phylogeny of 477 species—an almost complete regional sample. We estimated rates of evolution of morphological traits, habitat, and climatic niche and assessed whether differences in rates of evolution correlate with species richness differences in replicate non-nested sister clades. Our work demonstrates significant positive correlations between climatic niche rates, habitat and reproductive morphological evolution, and species richness. This coupling of trait and niche evolution and species richness in a diverse, continental clade sample strongly suggests that the ability of clades to explore niche and functional space has shaped disparities in richness and functional diversity across the North American flora region. Our findings highlight the importance of the evolutionary history of trait and niche evolution in shaping continental and regional floras.     

Phylogenetic structure of angiosperm trees in local forest communities along latitudinal and elevational gradients in eastern North America

Latitudinal and elevational gradients both represent thermal gradients. Assessing the consistency of the relationships between phylogenetic structure and climate between latitudinal and elevational gradients can provide insight into the mechanisms driving assembly of species from regional pools into local assemblages. The aim of this study is to compare patterns of phylogenetic structure measures for angiosperm tree species between latitudinal and elevational gradients, using a dataset of angiosperm tree species in 14 092 forest plots in eastern North America. We assessed whether these two gradients produce similar relationships between climate and phylogenetic structure, hypothesizing that they should differ in magnitude but not direction. We used correlation and regression analyses to assess the relation of measures of phylogenetic structure to elevation, latitude and climatic variables, which included minimum temperature, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality. We found that 1) phylogenetic relatedness of angiosperm trees increases with decreasing temperature along both latitudinal and elevational gradients but the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and temperature is steeper for elevational gradients than for latitudinal gradients; 2) the tip-weighted metric of phylogenetic relatedness (nearest taxon index) is more strongly correlated with climatic variables than the basal-weighted metric of phylogenetic relatedness (net relatedness index); 3) winter cold temperature exerts a stronger effect on community assembly of angiosperm trees than does temperature seasonality. These results suggest that winter cold temperature, rather than temperature seasonality, drives phylogenetic structure of plants in local forest communities, and that species distributions along elevational gradients are more in equilibrium with temperature, compared with those along latitudinal gradients.     

An inverse latitudinal gradient of diversity of peracarid crustaceans along the Pacific Coast of South America: out of the deep south

Aim To understand the ecological and historical/evolutionary processes underlying an inverse latitudinal gradient of richness (LGR) using crustacean peracarid species as a model group. Location The Pacific coast of South America, along the Chilean coast between 18° S and 56° S. Methods The LGR was evaluated using a dataset including 320 marine peracarid species reported for the coasts of Chile. Five ecological hypotheses invoking a relationship between species richness and present‐day conditions were tested: species–energy, species–area, Rapoport rescue effect, mid‐domain geometric constraint and niche breadth. Historical/evolutionary hypotheses (i.e. biogeographic conservatism, and diversification rates) were indirectly tested by analysing the latitudinal variation in the taxonomic distinctness, the taxonomic conservatism of the midpoint of the latitudinal range and the degree of nestedness at different taxonomic levels. Results Richness increased poleward, varying approximately eightfold, following an inverse LGR coupled with an increase in bathymetric distribution. Overall this inverse LGR seems robust to uncertainties in the completeness of the species inventory. We found support for only two of the five ecological hypotheses tested: species–area and Rapoport rescue effect. Historical/evolutionary hypotheses seemed important in structuring the richness pattern, as indicated by the higher taxonomic distinctness in the southern region, the strong taxonomic inertia in the mean range size and the high degree of nestedness of assemblages at different taxonomic levels. Conclusions When combined, these results underscore the importance of long‐term processes and historical/evolutionary explanations for the inverse LGR, conceptualized in what we term the ‘out of the deep south’ hypothesis that involves the effects of both biogeographic niche conservatism and evolutionary rates. We propose that the southern region may be a source of evolutionary novelties and/or exhibit higher diversification rates (i.e. higher speciation/lower extinction rates). Furthermore, phylogenetic conservatism of latitudinal range may limit the geographic expansion of these new taxa towards the depauperated northern region.     

Environmental filters shaping angiosperm tree assembly along climatic and geographic gradients

Question

Global‐scale forest censuses provide an opportunity to understand diversification processes in woody plant communities. Based on the climatic or geographic filtering hypotheses associated with tropical niche conservatism and dispersal limitation, we analysed phylogenetic community structures across a wide range of biomes and evaluated to what extent region‐specific processes have influenced large‐scale diversity patterns of tree species communities across latitude or continent.

Location

Global.

Methods

We generated a data set of species abundances for 21,379 angiosperm woody plants in 843 plots worldwide. We calculated net relatedness index (NRI) for each plot, based on a single global species pool and regional species pools, and phylogenetic β‐diversity (PBD) between plots. Then, we explored the correlations of NRI with climatic and geographic variables, and clarified phylogenetic dissimilarity along geographic and climatic differences. We also compared these patterns for South America, Africa, the Indo‐Pacific, Australia, the Nearctic, Western Palearctic and Eastern Palearctic.

Results

NRI based on a global‐scale species pool was negatively associated with precipitation and positively associated with Quaternary temperature change. PBD was positively associated with geographic distance and precipitation difference between plots across tropical and extratropical biomes. Moreover, phylogenetic dissimilarity was smaller in extratropical regions than in regions including the tropics, although temperate forests of the Eastern Palearctic showed a greater dissimilarity within extratropical regions.

Conclusions

Our findings support predictions of the climatic and geographic filtering hypotheses. Climatic filtering (climatic harshness and paleoclimatic change) relative to tropical niche conservatism played a role in sorting species from the global species pool and shaped the large‐scale diversity patterns, such as the latitudinal gradient observed across continents. Geographic filtering associated with dispersal limitation substantially contributed to regional divergence of tropical/extratropical biomes among continents. Old, long‐standing geographic barriers and recent climatic events differently influenced evolutionary diversification of angiosperm tree communities in tropical and extratropical biomes.     

Ecological traits influence the phylogenetic structure of bird species co‐occurrences worldwide

The extent to which species’ ecological and phylogenetic relatedness shape their co‐occurrence patterns at large spatial scales remains poorly understood. By quantifying phylogenetic assemblage structure within geographic ranges of >8000 bird species, we show that global co‐occurrence patterns are linked – after accounting for regional effects – to key ecological traits reflecting diet, mobility, body size and climatic preference. We found that co‐occurrences of carnivorous, migratory and cold‐climate species are phylogenetically clustered, whereas nectarivores, herbivores, frugivores and invertebrate eaters tend to be more phylogenetically overdispersed. Preference for open or forested habitats appeared to be independent from the level of phylogenetic clustering. Our results advocate for an extension of the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis to incorporate ecological and life‐history traits beyond the climatic niche. They further offer a novel species‐oriented perspective on how biogeographic and evolutionary legacies interact with ecological traits to shape global patterns of species coexistence in birds.     

Multiregional comparison of the ecological and phylogenetic structure of butterfly species richness gradients

Aim To examine butterfly species richness gradients in seven regions/countries and to quantify geographic mean root distance (MRD) patterns. My primary goal is to determine the extent to which an explanation for butterfly richness patterns based on tropical niche conservatism and the evolution of cold tolerance, proposed for the fauna of Canada and the USA, applies to other parts of the world. Location USA/Canada, Mexico, Europe/NW Africa, Transbaikal Siberia, Chile, South Africa and Australia. Methods Digitized range maps for butterfly species in each region were used to map richness patterns in summer (for all areas) and winter (for USA/Canada, Europe/NW Africa and Australia). A phylogeny resolved to subfamily was used to map the geographic MRD patterns. Regression trees and general linear models examined climatic and vegetation correlates of species richness and MRD within and among regions. Results Various combinations of climate and vegetation were strong predictors of species richness gradients within regions, but unresolved ‘regional’ factors contributed to the multiregional pattern. Regionally based differences in phylogenetic structure also exist, but MRD is negatively correlated with temperature both within and across areas. MRD patterns consistent with tropical niche conservatism occur in most areas. With a possible partial exception of Mexico, faunas in cold climates and in mountains are more derived than faunas in lowlands and tropical/subtropical climates. In USA/Canada, Europe and Australia, winter faunas are more derived than summer faunas. Main conclusions The phylogenetic pattern previously found in the USA and Canada is widespread in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and niche conservatism and the evolution of cold tolerance is the likely explanation for the development of the global butterfly species richness gradient over evolutionary time. Contemporary climate also influences species richness patterns but is unlikely to be a complete explanation globally. The importance of climate is also manifested in the seasonal loss of more basal butterfly elements outside the tropics in winter.     

Global angiosperm family richness revisited: linking ecology and evolution to climate

Aim The global richness gradient of angiosperm families is correlated with current climate, and it has been claimed that historical processes are not necessary to understand patterns of plant family richness. This claim has drawn criticism, and there have been doubts about the quality of the data used to quantify the pattern. We revisit this issue using the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) III classification and revised range maps, and we incorporate an evolutionary variable, family age, to explore covariation between evolution and ecology and their links to climate via the tropical conservatism hypothesis (TCH). Location Global. Methods The richness pattern for 408 families was derived from range maps, and family ages were derived from a dated angiosperm phylogeny. Patterns were generated for all families, 143 families composed of trees, and 149 families composed of herbs. We also examined family range size patterns to test the extent to which extratropical floras are nested subsets of tropical floras. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple and partial regressions were used to generate climate models for richness, mean range size and mean age for each plant dataset and to evaluate the covariation between contemporary climate and clade age as correlates of family richness. Results We confirmed the strong association between contemporary climate and family richness. Age patterns predicted by TCH were also found for families comprising trees. The richness of herbaceous families, in contrast, was correlated with climate but the age pattern was not as predicted by TCH. Floras in cold and dry areas are strongly nested within richer tropical floras. Main conclusions Phylogenetic niche conservatism at the family level offers a likely explanation for the global diversity gradient of trees, but not for non‐desert herbs, probably because of the faster evolutionary rates for herbs and less constrained evolutionary responses to climate change. Thus, it appears that multiple processes account for the overall angiosperm family gradient. Our analysis also demonstrates that even very strong associations of taxon richness and climate do not preclude evolutionary processes, as has been widely argued, and that climatic and evolutionary hypotheses for richness gradients are not mutually exclusive.     

Phylogenetic and ecological structure of Mediterranean caddisfly communities at various spatio‐temporal scales

Aim The evolutionary processes structuring the composition of communities remain unclear due to the complexity of factors active at various spatial and temporal scales. Here, we conducted ecological and evolutionary analyses of communities of caddisflies in the genus Hydropsyche (Insecta: Trichoptera) composed of ecomorphologically differentiated species. Location River ecosystems in the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco. Methods Nineteen environmental variables were assessed at 180 local study sites and species presence/absence at these sites was used to determine their ecological niche. The evolutionary framework for all 19 species of Hydropsyche encountered was generated by phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene and three nuclear genes: wingless, elongation factor 1‐alpha and 28S RNA. The phylogenetic tree was used: (1) to assess evolutionary niche conservatism by ecological trait correlation with the tree; and (2) to analyse the phylogenetic relatedness of community member species, at three spatial scales (local stream reaches, drainage basins, biogeographical regions). Results Ecological measurements grouped most species into either headwater, mid‐stream or lowland specialists, and traits presumably relevant to river zonation were found to be phylogenetically conservative. Species assemblages at local stream reaches were mostly mono‐ or dispecific. Species diversity increased at larger spatial scales, by adding species with non‐overlapping ecological niches at the level of river basins and by turnover of anciently differentiated lineages at the level of biogeographical regions. This indicates the effects of competition and niche filtering on community structure locally, and ancient ecological diversification and allopatric speciation, respectively, in building up the species pool at basin and biogeographical scales. Main conclusions The study demonstrates the importance of scale (grain size) in studying what determines community composition. Current ecological factors (i.e. competitive exclusion) in Hydropsyche were evident only when studying narrow local sites, while studies of assemblages at larger spatial scales instead demonstrated the roles of ecological niche differentiation, phylogenetic history of trait diversification and allopatric speciation. Increasing the grain size of investigation reveals different portions of correlated spatial and evolutionary processes.     

Explaining Andean megadiversity: the evolutionary and ecological causes of glassfrog elevational richness patterns

The Tropical Andes are an important global biodiversity hotspot, harbouring extraordinarily high richness and endemism. Although elevational richness and speciation have been studied independently in some Andean groups, the evolutionary and ecological processes that explain elevational richness patterns in the Andes have not been analysed together. Herein, we elucidate the processes underlying Andean richness patterns using glassfrogs (Centrolenidae) as a model system. Glassfrogs show the widespread mid‐elevation diversity peak for both local and regional richness. Remarkably, these patterns are explained by greater time (montane museum) rather than faster speciation at mid‐elevations (montane species pump), despite the recency of the major Andean uplift. We also show for the first time that rates of climatic‐niche evolution and elevational change are related, supporting the hypothesis that climatic‐niche conservatism decelerates species' shifts in elevational distributions and underlies the mid‐elevation richness peak. These results may be relevant to other Andean clades and montane systems globally.     

Evolutionary and ecological causes of the latitudinal diversity gradient in hylid frogs: treefrog trees unearth the roots of high tropical diversity

Why are there more species in the tropics than in temperate regions? In recent years, this long-standing question has been addressed primarily by seeking environmental correlates of diversity. But to understand the ultimate causes of diversity patterns, we must also examine the evolutionary and biogeographic processes that directly change species numbers (i.e., speciation, extinction, and dispersal). With this perspective, we dissect the latitudinal diversity gradient in hylid frogs. We reconstruct a phylogeny for 124 hylid species, estimate divergence times and diversification rates for major clades, reconstruct biogeographic changes, and use ecological niche modeling to identify climatic variables that potentially limit dispersal. We find that hylids originated in tropical South America and spread to temperate regions only recently (leaving limited time for speciation). There is a strong relationship between the species richness of each region and when that region was colonized but not between the latitudinal positions of clades and their rates of diversification. Temperature seasonality seemingly limits dispersal of many tropical clades into temperate regions and shows significant phylogenetic conservatism. Overall, our study illustrates how two general principles (niche conservatism and the time-for-speciation effect) may help explain the latitudinal diversity gradient as well as many other diversity patterns across taxa and regions.     

Elevational diversity patterns as an example for evolutionary and ecological dynamics in ferns and lycophytes

Evolutionary processes such as adaptation, ecological filtering, and niche conservatism involve the interaction of organisms with their environment and are thus commonly studied along environmental gradients. Elevational gradients have become among the most studied environmental gradients to understand large-scale patterns of species richness and composition because they are highly replicated with different combinations of geographical, environmental and historical factors. We here review the literature on using elevational gradients to understand evolutionary processes in ferns. Some phylogenetic studies of individual fern clades have considered elevation in the analysis or interpretation and postulated that fern diversification is linked to the colonization of mountain habitats. Other studies that have linked elevational community composition and hence ecological filtering with phylogenetic community composition and morphological traits, usually only found limited phylogenetic signal. However, these studies are ultimately only correlational, and there are few actual tests of the evolutionary mechanisms leading to these patterns. We identify a number of challenges for improving our understanding of how evolutionary and ecological processes are linked to elevational richness patterns in ferns: i) limited information on traits and their ecological relevance, ii) uncertainties on the dispersal kernels of ferns and hence the delimitation of regional species pools from which local assemblages are recruited, iii) limited genomic data to identify candidate genes under selection and hence actually document adaptation and selection, and iv) conceptual challenges in developing clear and testable hypotheses to how specific evolutionary processes can be linked to patterns in community composition and species richness.     

Geographic patterns and climatic correlates of deep evolutionary legacies for angiosperm assemblages in China

Deep evolutionary histories can play an important role in assembling species into communities, but few studies have explored the effects of deep evolutionary histories on species assembly of angiosperms (flowering plants). Here we explore patterns of family divergence and diversification times (stem and crown ages, respectively) and phylogenetic fuses for angiosperm assemblages in 100 × 100 km grid cells across geographic and ecological gradients in China. We found that both family stem and crown ages of angiosperm assemblages are older in southeastern China with warm and humid climates than in northwestern China with cold and dry climates; these patterns are stronger for family stem ages than for family crown ages; families in colder and drier climates are more closely related across the family-level angiosperm phylogeny; and family phylogenetic fuses are, on average, longer for angiosperm assemblages in warm and humid climates than in cold and dry climate. We conclude that the fact that deep evolutionary histories, which were measured as family stem and crown ages and family phylogenetic fuses in this study, have shown strong geographic and ecological patterns suggests that deep evolutionary histories of angiosperms have profound effects on assembling angiosperm species into ecological communities.     

Climatic niche conservatism and the evolutionary dynamics in species range boundaries: global congruence across mammals and amphibians

Aim Comparative evidence for phylogenetic niche conservatism – the tendency for lineages to retain their ancestral niches over long time scales – has so far been mixed, depending on spatial and taxonomic scale. We quantify and compare conservatism in the climatic factors defining range boundaries in extant continental mammals and amphibians in order to identify those factors that are most evolutionarily conserved, and thus hypothesized to have played a major role in determining the geographic distributions of many species. We also test whether amphibians show stronger signals of climatic niche conservatism, as expected from their greater physiological sensitivity and lower dispersal abilities. Location Global; continental land masses excluding Antarctica. Methods We used nearly complete global distributional databases to estimate the climatic niche conservatism in extant continental mammals and amphibians. We characterized the climatic niche of each species by using a suite of variables and separately investigate conservatism in each variable using both taxonomic and phylogenetic approaches. Finally, we explored the spatial, taxonomic and phylogenetic patterns in recent climatic niche evolution. Results Amphibians and mammals showed congruent patterns of conservatism in cold tolerance, with assemblages of escapee species (i.e. those escaping most from the climatic constraints of their ancestors) aggregated in the North Temperate Zone. Main conclusions The relative strength of climatic niche conservatism varies across the variables tested, but is strongest for cold tolerance in both mammals and amphibians. Despite the apparent conservatism in this variable, there is also a strong signal of recent evolutionary shifts in cold tolerance in assemblages inhabiting the North Temperate Zone. Our results thus indicate that distribution patterns of both taxa are influenced by both niche conservatism and niche evolution.     

Evolutionary constraints on regional faunas: whom, but not how many

The latitudinal diversity gradient has been hypothesized to reflect past evolutionary dynamics driven by climatic niche conservation during cladogenesis, i.e. the tropical conservatism hypothesis. Here we show that the species diversity of treefrogs (Hylidae) across the western hemisphere is actually independent of evolutionary niche dynamics. We evaluated three key predictions of the tropical conservatism hypothesis that relate to the relationships between climate, species richness and the phylogenetic structure of regional treefrog faunas across the continental Americas. Species composition was dependent on the inability of some lineages to evolve cold tolerance, but the actual number of species in a region was strongly predicted by precipitation, not temperature. Moreover, phylogenetic structure was independent of precipitation. Thus, species in low-richness areas were no more closely related than species in highly diverse regions. These results provide no support for the tropical conservatism hypothesis. Instead, they show that regional species composition and richness are constrained by different climatic components, demonstrating that global biodiversity gradients can be independent of niche stasis during cladogenesis.     

物种丰富度垂直分布格局及影响机制

物种丰富度分布格局是一定地域内物种丰富度沿三维空间的立体分布,包括物种丰富度在经度、纬度和垂直梯度(海拔高度和海水深度)三个维度上的空间分异。近年来物种多样性的垂直分布格局与机制研究得到了生物地理学家和生态学家的重视。物种丰富度的垂直分布格局存在多种类型,但随海拔增加而物种数减少的单调递减模型和中海拔物种丰富度最高的单峰模型较为常见。目前在机制研究中验证较多的是气候稳定性、生物因子(种间相互作用)、能量、生境异质性、干扰、进化时间、物种分化速率、面积、中域效应(mid-domain effect)、生态位保守性(niche conservatism)等假说和机制。物种丰富度的分布格局是多方面因素综合作用的结果;由于地理、地形、气候、地质演化历史、物种库和进化历史、物种分化速率、干扰等差异,在不同地区存在着特别的物种丰富度空间分布格局和机制;处于同一地区的不同类群的物种也因进化扩散历史和生态适应能力不同而呈现多样化的分布格局。因此,对不同地区和类群的物种丰富度格局和机制进行研究应具体分析后才能得到可信结论。