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H2020Individual fellowship2019–2021

GAP · Global dynamics of mountain diversification and persistence

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31
EU contribution
€183,455
Participants
1
Scheme
MSCA-IF

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Results in brief

Global dynamics of mountain diversification and persistence

The uneven distribution of species diversity across the earth’s surface is a widely appreciated pattern among well-studied animal and plant groups. Yet despite almost two centuries of scientific investigation, limited progress has been made in answering why the number of species found in different global localities varies so much? Among vertebrate groups, including birds, tropical mountain regions represent the global hotspots of species diversity. These areas support a disproportionately large number of species with small geographic ranges that are completely restricted to montane areas. The failure of biologists to explain geographic differences in the distribution of global species diversity can be viewed as a direct consequence of our poor understanding about the evolutionary processes that have generated the high number of species found in tropical mountain ranges. In light of the worldwide decline in biodiversity and natural areas, it is imperative to gain a better understanding of the processes leading to the formation and maintenance of the planets most diverse systems; tropical mountain ranges. Therefore, using the globally distributed songbirds (2/3 of all living birds) as my study system, the main aims of my project were as follows: (1) Determine the differences in the rates of species formation, and the evolution of their physical characters, comparing montane and lowland areas of the world. (2) Test the relative importance of mountain systems in generating global species diversity patterns. (3) Test whether particular mountain regions or elevational zones maintain species that are overly threatened with extinction.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Why does the geographic distribution of species richness vary so much across the earth’s surface? This question has been a central focus of biology for almost two centuries, but despite extensive study, biologists have been unable to provide a comprehensive answer. Considering global richness patterns, tropical mountain ranges stand out as the hotspots for vertebrate species diversity. However, our ability to predict the large number of species present in these areas as a result of current climatic and environmental conditions is poor, implying an important influence of evolutionary history in generating these trends. In GAP, I will test the relative importance of different evolutionary processes; dispersal, diversification and lineage persistence in generating species richness patterns throughout the world’s mountain regions, for the most speciose avian order (passerines, ~6,500/10,000 bird species). I will also test whether diversification, followed by the dispersal of lineages from mountain regions to lowland areas, is a major contributor to the production of continental/global gradients of species richness, evolutionary diversity and functional diversity. To determine where efforts should be focused to preserve montane diversity into the future, I will also evaluate how conservation threat status varies among global mountain assemblages, and how well this predicts the evolutionary and functional diversity maintained there. I will achieve these analytical objectives following the generation of a novel and comprehensive global dataset. This will encompass a time-calibrated phylogeny, classifications of global mountain regions and elevational zonation for the world’s passerine species. Together, the research outputs from GAP will significantly improve our understanding as to why mountains are so rich in species, and how historical processes in these areas have influenced the formation of global biodiversity gradients.

Original text from CORDIS.

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Data: CORDIS, © European Union