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Published on: April 17, 2021
Uplift-driven diversification in the Hengduan Mountains, a temperate biodiversity hotspot
Yaowu Xing1,2, Richard H Ree3,4
1Life Sciences Section, Integrative Research Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605.
Summary
Mountain orogeny drives rapid plant speciation. Recent uplift in the Hengduan Mountains accelerated in situ diversification, unlike older regions, supporting the uplift-driven diversification hypothesis.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Biogeography
Background:
- Mountain biodiversity is often attributed to uplift-driven diversification.
- Orogeny (mountain building) may create conditions favoring rapid speciation.
- The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and surrounding ranges offer a natural laboratory to test this hypothesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the uplift-driven diversification hypothesis using plant phylogenetics and geography.
- To infer the rate and mode of biotic assembly across different mountain regions and geological timescales.
- To compare diversification patterns in the Hengduan Mountains with the geologically older QTP and Himalayas.
Main Methods:
- Time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses of plant groups.
- Inference of phylogenetic and geographic histories.
- Comparison of in situ diversification rates and colonization versus speciation modes.
- Integration of geological uplift data.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in the rate of in situ diversification in the Hengduan Mountains occurred approximately 8 million years ago.
- This diversification rate in the Hengduan Mountains notably exceeded that in the QTP and Himalayas during the same period.
- In contrast, the QTP and Himalayas showed a stable, lower rate of in situ diversification, dominated by colonization.
- The Hengduan Mountains' flora assembly was disproportionately shaped by recent, rapid in situ diversification, aligning with its more recent uplift.
Conclusions:
- Provides quantitative evidence supporting the uplift-driven diversification hypothesis in the Hengduan Mountains.
- Demonstrates that recent orogeny can drive rapid in situ speciation, contributing significantly to regional biodiversity.
- Offers a comparative, spatio-temporal framework for studying biotic assembly in biodiversity hotspots, complementing studies of individual endemic radiations.
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