Digest: Speciation involves both barriers and bridges in the tropical Andes

Mountains are important centers of biodiversity and studies of speciation. In particular, the north-south linear orientation of the Andes allows examination of how geographic isolation, elevation, and latitude influence divergence in closely related species such as Myioborus warblers (Parulidae), the focal taxa of this study. Traditional models of Andean speciation have emphasized allopatric divergence due to geographic barriers, but thanks to the limited sampling of hybrid zones and lack of genome-wide datasets in tropical taxa, we may have underestimated of the role of gene flow in shaping patterns of divergence in the region. Using ddRAD-seq genomic data, Céspedes Arias et al. (2026) demonstrated that geographic isolation and hybridization both contribute to the generation and maintenance of Andean warbler lineages. Their results revealed how complex patterns of genetic divergence, introgression, and isolation-by-distance contribute to the historical buildup of biodiversity in the Andes, challenging strictly isolationist models of mountain evolution.