Contrasting evolutionary trajectories of terrestrial vertebrates in the Hengduan Mountains hotspot
The Hengduan Mountains (HDM) harbor the richest temperate diversity in the Northern Hemisphere, yet our understanding of how this exceptionally diverse biota evolved remains obscure. Large-scale historical biogeographic analyses of 851 terrestrial vertebrate species and their relatives (totaling 4862 species) reveal that multiple evolutionary pathways formed this biodiversity hotspot. Whereas <i>in situ</i> speciation dominates in amphibians and non-avian reptiles, near-equal <i>in situ</i> speciation and colonization occurs in mammals, and colonization happens primarily in birds. HDM are a 'cradle' for neo-endemics and a 'sink' receiving surrounding biotas, mostly (>30%) coming from the Indo-Malay region. Orogenesis and monsoon intensification triggered <i>in situ</i> speciation initiated in the early Oligocene and peaking around 7-8 Ma. Analyses of different taxonomic groups reveal contrasting evolutionary processes and how major geo-climatic events override taxon-specific attributes. Results highlight the need to incorporate taxon-specific traits into future conservation planning to effectively address the unique needs and challenges of different groups.
Authors
- Fei Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2139-8807)
- Jing Che (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-6514)
- Jie-Qiong Jin
- Dong Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7612-8823)
- Robert W. Murphy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8555-2338)
- Xuelong Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-2490)
- Kai Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6736-3346)
- Shui-Wang He
- Wenna Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0446-8431)
- Chen-Qi Lu
- Ya‐Ping Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-1114)
- Quan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7536-5475)
- Wei Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4184-3982)
- Wenjie Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8871-693X)
- Peng Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5585-292X)
Institutions
- Kunming Institute of Zoology (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (CH)
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (CN)
- Royal Ontario Museum (CA)
- Yibin University (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- National Science Review
- Published
- 2025-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf157
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.51
Funders
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- National Key Research and Development Program of China