Letter/Communication
Evolution and the latitudinal diversity gradient: speciation, extinction and biogeography
Ecology letters, v 10(4), pp 315-331
Apr 2007
PMID: 17355570
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
A latitudinal gradient in biodiversity has existed since before the time of the dinosaurs, yet how and why this gradient arose remains unresolved. Here we review two major hypotheses for the origin of the latitudinal diversity gradient. The time and area hypothesis holds that tropical climates are older and historically larger, allowing more opportunity for diversification. This hypothesis is supported by observations that temperate taxa are often younger than, and nested within, tropical taxa, and that diversity is positively correlated with the age and area of geographical regions. The diversification rate hypothesis holds that tropical regions diversify faster due to higher rates of speciation (caused by increased opportunities for the evolution of reproductive isolation, or faster molecular evolution, or the increased importance of biotic interactions), or due to lower extinction rates. There is phylogenetic evidence for higher rates of diversification in tropical clades, and palaeontological data demonstrate higher rates of origination for tropical taxa, but mixed evidence for latitudinal differences in extinction rates. Studies of latitudinal variation in incipient speciation also suggest faster speciation in the tropics. Distinguishing the roles of history, speciation and extinction in the origin of the latitudinal gradient represents a major challenge to future research.
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Details
- Title
- Evolution and the latitudinal diversity gradient: speciation, extinction and biogeography
- Creators
- Gary G. Mittelbach - Michigan State UniversityDouglas W. Schemske - Michigan State UniversityHoward V. Cornell - University of California, DavisAndrew P. Allen - University of California, Santa BarbaraJonathan M. Brown - Grinnell CollegeMark B. Bush - Florida Institute of TechnologySusan P. Harrison - University of California, DavisAllen H. Hurlbert - University of California, Santa BarbaraNancy Knowlton - University of California, San DiegoHarilaos A. Lessios - Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteChristy M. McCain - University of California, Santa BarbaraAmy R. McCune - Cornell UniversityLucinda A. McDade - Drexel UniversityMark A. McPeek - Dartmouth CollegeThomas J. Near - University of New HavenTrevor D. Price - University of ChicagoRobert E. Ricklefs - University of MissouriKaustuv Roy - Section of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USADov F. Sax - University of GeorgiaDolph Schluter - University of British ColumbiaJames M. Sobel - Michigan State UniversityMichael Turelli - University of California, Davis
- Publication Details
- Ecology letters, v 10(4), pp 315-331
- Publisher
- Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Number of pages
- 17
- Resource Type
- Letter/Communication
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000244883700007
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-33947288482
- Other Identifier
- 991021864440604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology