Article
Biology
Jesper Sonne, Bo Dalsgaard, Michael K. Borregaard, Jonathan Kennedy, Jon Fjeldsa, Carsten Rahbek
Summary: The concentration of vertebrate species in tropical mountains is a prominent yet unexplained pattern. The traditional hypothesis suggests that endemic species aggregate in ecologically stable areas, resulting in biodiversity hotspots. However, a study on Andean hummingbirds found that old and young endemic species are not spatially aggregated. Instead, the biodiversity hotspots in the Andes may be influenced by large-scale climate fluctuation and local-scale variability in available area and habitat connectivity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tobias van Elst, Dominik Schuessler, Romule Rakotondravony, Valisoa S. T. Rovanirina, Anne Veillet, Paul A. A. Hohenlohe, Jonah H. H. Ratsimbazafy, Rodin M. M. Rasoloarison, Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona, Blanchard Randrianambinina, Miarisoa L. L. Ramilison, Anne D. D. Yoder, Edward E. E. Louis Jr, Ute Radespiel
Summary: Madagascar exhibits exceptional levels of biodiversity and endemism, with historical variability in climate conditions playing a key role in species diversification and distribution. This study focuses on Gerp's mouse lemur and uses genomic and ecological niche analyses to understand the mechanisms of diversification in Madagascar's rainforests. The research reveals that M. gerpi diversified during the late Pleistocene, with rivers acting as biogeographic barriers depending on their size and elevation.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jack M. Craig, Sudhir Kumar, S. Blair Hedges
Summary: Biodiversity analyses of phylogenomic timetrees have revealed numerous examples of rate shifts in speciation across the tree of life. This study re-examined 15 genomic timetrees and 25 major studies and found an unexpected correlation between the timing of rate shifts and the information content of sequence alignments. The results suggest that many inferred speciation rate shifts may be driven by data limitations rather than biological explanations, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive species sampling and accurate estimates of species richness in detecting such shifts.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Serena E. Dool, Mike D. Picker, Monika J. B. Eberhard
Summary: The study utilized an insect system to investigate early drivers of speciation, revealing the importance of geographic distance, temperature, altitude, precipitation, and vegetation in species divergence. The discovery of hybrid-zones and multiple allopatric species pairs in Austrophasmatidae suggests that this group could provide valuable insights into speciation modes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ingrid Olivares, Sergio Tusso, Maria Jose Sanin, Marylaure de La Harpe, Oriane Loiseau, Jonathan Rolland, Nicolas Salamin, Michael Kessler, Kentaro K. Shimizu, Margot Paris
Summary: Traditionally, differences between species have been associated with morphological variation. However, the discovery of cryptic diversity suggests that the evolution of distinct lineages can occur without morphological differences. Through genetic analysis, we found that a tropical montane plant lineage is composed of numerous unrecognized genetic groups that are not morphologically distinct. Geographic distance and topography play a crucial role in determining the genetic divergence of these groups.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Quansheng Fu, Xianhan Huang, Lijuan Li, Yi Jin, Hong Qian, Xinyuan Kuai, Yaojun Ye, Hengchang Wang, Tao Deng, Hang Sun
Summary: The study finds that species richness, age, and diversification rate are good indicators of predicting extinction risk. Higher risk of extinction is associated with families in regions with faster diversification rates, older ages, and higher species richness, while temperate regions show the opposite pattern.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Review
Zoology
Christophe Dufresnes, Spartak N. Litvinchuk
Summary: Biodiversity analyses benefit from clear species delimitation schemes and up-to-date distribution data. In this article, the authors attempted to delimit and map amphibian species in the Eastern Palaearctic region. They used a literature review, reproductive isolation and genetic divergence analysis, and occurrence data to identify 274 native species and 8 introduced species in the region. The study also found hotspots of species richness in southern Tibet, the Sichuan Basin, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and the main Japanese islands. Phylogeographic breaks were identified as responsible for recent speciation events. The study provides valuable insights into species diversity patterns in the Eastern Palaearctic region.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ruan van Mazijk, Michael D. Cramer, G. Anthony Verboom
Summary: The study found that the Greater Cape Floristic Region is generally more environmentally heterogeneous and species-rich than the Southwest Australian Floristic Region. There is a significant relationship between species richness per unit area and the major axis of heterogeneity across both regions, but this relationship differs between the two regions at the finest spatial scale.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Angus Macgregor Myburgh, Savel Regan Daniels
Summary: This study compares the phylogeographic structure of 13 codistributed ectotherms and finds a marked east/west division, separated by the Cape Fold Mountain range. Climate and the Cape Fold Mountain barrier play a major role in the lineage diversification and population differentiation of these species.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
B. Adriaan Grobler, Richard M. Cowling
Summary: The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is known for its high plant diversity and endemism, with a significant number of species unique to the area. The coastal flora of CFR, predominantly comprised of Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Iridaceae, features various herbaceous and woody species with a mix of growth forms. The flora is predominantly associated with the Fynbos biome, with a high proportion of species endemic to the region and a unique presence of species associated with tropical lineages on calcareous substrata.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ryan A. Folk, Michelle L. Gaynor, Nicholas J. Engle-Wrye, Brian C. O'Meara, Pamela S. Soltis, Douglas E. Soltis, Robert P. Guralnick, Stephen A. Smith, Charles J. Grady, Yudai Okuyama
Summary: Applications of molecular phylogenetic approaches have revealed evidence of hybridization across various clades of life. This study focuses on the Heuchereae clade in Saxifragaceae and uses a combination of nuclear and chloroplast data to confirm previous hybridization events and identify a new one. The results suggest that past climate change and species' ecological strategies play important roles in shaping patterns of range contact and opportunities for hybridization.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Jana R. Wold, Christopher J. R. Robertson, Geoffrey K. Chambers, Tracey Van Stijn, Peter A. Ritchie
Summary: The genetic study on the Buller's albatross revealed differences in genetic diversity and connectivity between the Northern and Southern populations. Results showed higher nucleotide diversity in the Northern Buller's albatross compared to the Southern colonies. Population structure analyses indicated distinguishable clusters between the two subspecies, but not within the Southern Buller's populations.
EMU-AUSTRAL ORNITHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniela Mardones, Rosa A. Scherson
Summary: Given the continuous loss of biodiversity, it is urgent to study its patterns and implement conservation measures. Incorporating evolutionary aspects into traditional biodiversity measures allows us to understand the historical processes behind current biodiversity. In this study, patterns of richness and endemism were compared with phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism indices for woody flora in Chile. Evolutionary hotspots were identified, indicating the importance of considering evolutionary aspects in conservation efforts.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shook Ling Low, Chih-Chieh Yu, Im Hin Ooi, Wichan Eiadthong, Alan Galloway, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Yao-Wu Xing
Summary: The study investigated the biogeographic origin of the Asian paleotropical flora by tracking the speciation and diversification history of a typical tropical perennial, Typhonium sensu stricto (s.s.) (Araceae), revealing that Typhonium s.s. originated in Indochina during the early-middle Miocene epoch. The study provides a framework for studies in biogeography and evolution of the Asian paleotropical flora, suggesting that peripatric speciation may be important in the diversification of certain species within the genus Typhonium.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ilan N. Rubin, Iaroslav Ispolatov, Michael Doebeli
Summary: Recent studies have shown that natural populations may get stuck in low diversity states following an adaptive radiation, due to mutations of small phenotypic effect. These low diversity states can be maintained by limited resources and finite population sizes, despite the presence of higher-diversity stable states.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Philipp Brun, Cyrille Violle, David Mouillot, Nicolas Mouquet, Brian J. Enquist, Francois Munoz, Tamara Munkemuller, Annette Ostling, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Wilfried Thuiller
Summary: A study found that individual plant species (key species) have a greater impact on productivity in diverse grassland communities in the European Alps than community-level measures of functional composition. The key species are typically tall plants with high specific leaf areas. When observations are divided according to distinct habitats, the explanatory power of key species and functional composition increases, with their relationships varying systematically.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hsi-Cheng Ho, Jakob Brodersen, Martin M. Gossner, Catherine H. Graham, Silvana Kaeser, Merin Reji Chacko, Ole Seehausen, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loiec Pellissier, Florian Altermatt
Summary: Aquatic and terrestrial food webs in the same landscape may respond differently to shared environmental gradients. This study shows that inferred blue and green food webs exhibit different properties along elevation and land-use types, indicating potential divergent alterations through land-use or climatic changes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ian R. McFadden, Agnieszka Sendek, Morgane Brosse, Peter M. Bach, Marco Baity-Jesi, Janine Bolliger, Kurt Bollmann, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff, Giulia Donati, Friederike Gebert, Shyamolina Ghosh, Hsi-Cheng Ho, Imran Khaliq, J. Jelle Lever, Ivana Logar, Helen Moor, Daniel Odermatt, Loiec Pellissier, Luiz Jardim de Queiroz, Christian Rixen, Nele Schuwirth, J. Ryan Shipley, Cornelia W. Twining, Yann Vitasse, Christoph Vorburger, Mark K. L. Wong, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Ole Seehausen, Martin M. Gossner, Blake Matthews, Catherine H. Graham, Florian Altermatt, Anita Narwani
Summary: Human impacts such as habitat loss, climate change, and biological invasions are drastically changing biodiversity. We propose an integrative approach to explain the differences in impacts between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems by linking them to four fundamental processes that structure communities. Through this approach, we aim to provide insights into why human impacts and responses to them may differ across ecosystem types, using a mechanistic, eco-evolutionary framework.
Article
Ecology
Ao Luo, Xiaoting Xu, Yunpeng Liu, Yaoqi Li, Xiangyan Su, Yichao Li, Tong Lyu, Dimitar Dimitrov, Markku Larjavaara, Shijia Peng, Yongsheng Chen, Qinggang Wang, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier, Bernhard Schmid, Zhiheng Wang
Summary: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the global spatio-temporal patterns in angiosperm woodiness and their relationship with environmental factors. Using data on the growth forms and distributions of around 300,000 angiosperm species and an angiosperm phylogeny, the researchers mapped the current global geographical patterns in angiosperm woodiness and reconstructed ancestral states of growth forms. They found that temperature was the best predictor of the spatio-temporal decline in woodiness and was positively correlated with woodiness. The study highlights the role of temperature in maintaining the growth form composition of ecosystems and calls for attention to growth form transitions in temperate drylands.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Yohann Chauvier, Niklaus E. Zimmermann
Summary: The release of CMIP6 data presents challenges for users to access and process the increasing amount of data. To address this, we have developed the chelsa_cmip6 package, which creates bioclimatic variables and climatological normals based on CHELSA ver. 2.1 and cloud-based CMIP6 data. The package simplifies access to CMIP6 data and aggregates it to climatological normals, downscales it to a 30 arcsec grid resolution, and creates a set of bioclimatic variables representing long-term climatic means or variability in air temperatures and precipitation. It offers users a simple way to create climate change projections for user-defined geographical extents and time periods.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antoine Adde, Pierre-Louis Rey, Philipp Brun, Nathan Kuelling, Fabian Fopp, Florian Altermatt, Olivier Broennimann, Anthony Lehmann, Blaise Petitpierre, Niklaus E. E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier, Antoine Guisan
Summary: Predicting species distributions is crucial, but existing modelling tools have limitations. To address this, we developed N-SDM, an SDM platform that combines various techniques and allows scalable high-resolution predictions. N-SDM is designed for biodiversity assessments and facilitates the use of species occurrence data at different scales. It integrates state-of-the-art features, such as covariate selection, multiple algorithms, hyperparameter optimization, and parallel processing.
Article
Ecology
Kuiling Zu, Jonathan Lenoir, Jingyun Fang, Zhiyao Tang, Zehao Shen, Chengjun Ji, Chengyang Zheng, Ao Luo, Wenqi Song, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier, Zhiheng Wang
Summary: This study assessed changes in species' elevational centroids and their drivers in 29 Chinese mountains using historical specimen records and recent field observations for 735 seed plant species. The results showed that 54% of the species shifted upward while 46% shifted downhill. The study also found that precipitation changes, species' climatic adaptations, functional traits, and mountain size all contributed to the magnitude of species' centroid elevational range shifts.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huiying Shang, David L. Field, Ovidiu Paun, Martha Rendon-Anaya, Jaqueline Hess, Claus Vogl, Jianquan Liu, Par K. Ingvarsson, Christian Lexer, Thibault Leroy
Summary: Genomic landscapes of nucleotide diversity and differentiation are investigated to understand speciation processes. Resequencing 201 whole genomes from 8 closely related Populus species reveals extensive introgression between some species pairs. Conserved patterns of genomic divergence across species pairs are observed, with signatures of linked selection, gene flow, and standing genetic variation identified.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yunpeng Liu, Xiaoting Xu, Dimitar Dimitrov, Loic Pellissier, Michael K. Borregaard, Nawal Shrestha, Xiangyan Su, Ao Luo, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Carsten Rahbek, Zhiheng Wang
Summary: By integrating global distributions and a phylogeny of 12,664 angiosperm genera, the study updates global floristic regions and explores their temporal changes. Most floristic realms have formed since the Paleogene, primarily due to geographic isolation induced by plate tectonics.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yaquan Chang, Katrina Gelwick, Sean D. Willett, Xinwei Shen, Camille Albouy, Ao Luo, Zhiheng Wang, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier
Summary: The geographic distribution of plant diversity matches the gradient of habitat heterogeneity. The associations between species richness and habitat heterogeneity were investigated at the scales of Eurasia and the Hengduan Mountains in China using species distribution models. High environmental heterogeneity provides suitable conditions for the diversification of lineages in the Hengduan Mountains, but other mechanisms, such as the complex geological history, may have contributed to shaping the exceptional biodiversity hotspot.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Stefan Lange, Chantal Hari, Christopher P. O. Reyer, Olaf Conrad, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Katja Frieler
Summary: Current changes in the world's climate have significant impacts on various sectors globally. The existing global climate datasets do not cover high spatio-temporal resolutions required to understand these impacts. This study presents a climate forcing dataset, CHELSA-W5E5, with high resolution for air temperatures, precipitation rates, and solar radiation. The downscaled data show increased accuracy and can be valuable for climate change impact studies at global and regional levels.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Michael P. Nobis, Signe Normand, Catherine H. Graham, Niklaus E. Zimmermann
Summary: This study introduces a new high-resolution dataset, CHELSA-TraCE21k, which provides global monthly climatologies for temperature and precipitation at unprecedented spatial resolution. The dataset demonstrates good representation of temperature and precipitation distribution through time and is capable of detecting known refugia of species during the Last Glacial Maximum.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Lisha Lyu, Flurin Leugger, Oskar Hagen, Fabian Fopp, Lydian M. Boschman, Joeri Sergej Strijk, Camille Albouy, Dirk N. Karger, Philipp Brun, Zhiheng Wang, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier
Summary: The documentation of biodiversity distribution is important for various fields, but accurate species range maps are lacking for plants. This study presents a new approach that combines polygon mapping and species distribution modeling to map species ranges at a global scale. The study constructs high-resolution range maps for Fagales and Pinales and identifies diversity hotspots in southern and south-western China, Central America, and Borneo.
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Philipp Brun, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Chantal Hari, Loic Pellissier, Dirk Nikolaus Karger
Summary: This study developed a climate-related variables dataset that provides detailed spatiotemporal information for analyzing the impact of climate change on ecosystems and human societies. The dataset is accurate and can be used to predict the effects of different climate variables on the environment and ecological systems.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Ziyan Liao, Youhua Chen, Kaiwen Pan, Mohammed A. Dakhil, Kexin Lin, Xianglin Tian, Fengying Zhang, Xiaogang Wu, Bikram Pandey, Bin Wang, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Lin Zhang, Michael P. Nobis
Summary: This study aimed to characterize the geographical distribution of Sorensen-based multi-site dissimilarity (beta(sor)) and its underlying true turnover (beta(sim)) and nestedness (beta(sne)) components for Chinese Lauraceae and analyze their relationships to current climate and past climate change. The results showed that current low temperatures and high climatic heterogeneity are the main factors explaining the high multi-site beta-diversity of Lauraceae. Additionally, latitude and topography also impact the distribution patterns of Lauraceae.