2023/09/26 by Alexander Skeels, Damien Esquerré, Daria Lipsky +2 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Species Distribution and Climate Change #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Amphibian and Reptile Biology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/evolut/qpad170
openalex publication_date 2023/09/26 · openalex created_date 2023/09/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Mountains are among the most biodiverse regions on the planet, and how these landforms shape diversification through the interaction of biological traits and geo-climatic dynamics is integral to understanding global biodiversity. In this study, we investigate the dual roles of climate change and mountain uplift on the evolution of a hyper-diverse radiation, Liolaemus lizards, with a spatially explicit model of diversification using a reconstruction of uplift and paleotemperature in central and southern South America. The diversification model captures a hotspot for Liolaemus around 40°S in lineages with low-dispersal ability and narrow niche breadths. Under the model, speciation rates are highest in low latitudes (<35°S) and mid elevations (~1,000 m), while extinction rates are highest at higher latitudes (>35°S) and higher elevations (>2,000 m). Temperature change through the Cenozoic explained variation in speciation and extinction rates through time and across different elevational bands. Our results point to the conditions of mid elevations being optimal for diversification (i.e., Goldilocks Zone), driven by the combination of (1) a complex topography that facilitates speciation during periods of climatic change, and (2) a relatively moderate climate that enables the persistence of ectothermic lineages and buffers species from extinction.