The evolution of a tropical biodiversity hotspot

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Harvey, Michael G., Bravo, Gustavo A., Claramunt, Santiago, Cuervo, Andrés M., Derryberry, Graham E., Battilana, Jaqueline, Seeholzer, Glenn F., McKay, Jessica Shearer, O’Meara, Brian C., Faircloth, Brant C., Edwards, Scott V., Pérez-Emán, Jorge, Moyle, Robert G., Sheldon, Frederick H., Aleixo, Alexandre, Smith, Brian Tilston, Chesser, R. Terry, Silveira, Luís Fábio, Cracraft, Joel, Brumfield, Robb T., Derryberry, Elizabeth P.
• Other Authors: National Science Foundation, São Paulo Research Foundation, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2020
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz6970; https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/science.aaz6970; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aaz6970

Diversity does not drive speciation The role of the environment in the origin of new species has long been debated. Harvey et al. examined the evolutionary history and species diversity of suboscine birds in the tropics (see the Perspective by Morlon). Contrary to expectations that the tropics have higher rates of speciation, the authors observed that higher and more constant speciation rates occur in harsh environments relative to the tropics. Thus, for this group of birds, diversification in temperate to Arctic regions followed by the movement and retention of species in the tropics results in their higher local levels of species diversity. Science , this issue p. 1343 see also p. 1268