Evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient in the hypediversite ant genus Pheidole

0505760 - BC 2020 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Economo, E. P. - Huang, J.-P. - Fischer, G. - Sarnat, E. M. - Narula, N. - Janda, Milan - Guénard, B. - Longino, J. T. - Knowles, L. L.
Evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient in the hypediversite ant genus Pheidole.
Global Ecology and Biogeography. Roč. 28, č. 4 (2019), s. 456-470. ISSN 1466-822X. E-ISSN 1466-8238
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : ants * diversification rate * diversity regulation
OECD category: Entomology
Impact factor: 6.446, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Open access
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/geb.12867

Aim The latitudinal diversity gradient is the dominant geographic pattern of life on Earth, but a consensus understanding of its origins has remained elusive. The analysis of recently diverged, hyper-rich invertebrate groups provides an opportunity to investigate latitudinal patterns with the statistical power of large trees while minimizing potentially confounding variation in ecology and history. Here, we synthesize global phylogenetic and macroecological data on a hyperdiverse (> 1,100 species) ant radiation, Pheidole and test predictions of three general explanations for the latitudinal gradient: variation in diversification rates, tropical conservatism and ecological regulation. Location Global. Time period The past 35 million years. Major taxa studied The hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole Westwood. Methods We assembled geographic data for 1,499 species and morphospecies, and inferred a dated phylogeny for 449 species of Pheidole, including 167 species newly sequenced for this study. We tested for correlations between diversification rate and latitude with Bayesian analysis of macroevolutionary mixtures (BAMM), hidden state speciation and extinction (HiSSE), geographic state speciation and extinction (GeoSSE), and a non-parametric method (FiSSE), evaluated evidence for richness steady state, and examined patterns of diversification as Pheidole spread around the globe. Results There was no evidence of systematic variation of net diversification rates with latitude across any of the methods. We found that Pheidole diversification occurred in bursts when new continents were colonized, followed by a slowdown in each region, but there is no evidence richness has saturated at an equilibrium in any region. Additionally, we found latitudinal affinity is moderately conserved with a Neotropical ancestor and simulations show that phylogenetic inertia alone is sufficient to produce the gradient pattern.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0297168