Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research

Abstract

The unparalleled biodiversity found in the American tropics (the Neotropics) has attracted the attention of naturalists for centuries. Despite major advances in recent years in our understanding of the origin and diversification of many Neotropical taxa and biotic regions, many questions remain to be answered. Additional biological and geological data are still needed, as well as methodological advances that are capable of bridging these research fields. In this review, aimed primarily at advanced students and early-career scientists, we introduce the concept of “trans-disciplinary biogeography,” which refers to the integration of data from multiple areas of research in biology (e.g., community ecology, phylogeography, systematics, historical biogeography) and Earth and the physical sciences (e.g., geology, climatology, palaeontology), as a means to reconstruct the giant puzzle of Neotropical biodiversity and evolution in space and time. We caution against extrapolating results derived from the study of one or a few taxa to convey general scenarios of Neotropical evolution and landscape formation. We urge more coordination and integration of data and ideas among disciplines, transcending their traditional boundaries, as a basis for advancing tomorrow’s ground-breaking research. Our review highlights the great opportunities for studying the Neotropical biota to understand the evolution of life.

Comparative phylogeography of trans‐Andean freshwater fishes based on genome‐wide nuclear and mitochondrial markers

“…Patterns of species diversity in Neotropical fishes are highly heterogeneous due to landscape reconfigurations that have resulted from the complex geologic history of the region, such as the emergence of the Andes cordillera (Antonelli, Ariza et al, ; Antonelli, Kissling et al, ; Hoorn et al, ; Lundberg et al, ; Montes et al, ; Rodriguez‐Olarte et al, ; Schaefer, ). Most historical biogeographic studies conducted in the Neotropics are macroevolutionary in scope, focusing mostly on phylogenetic divergences within fish families or genera (Albert & Reis, ), and the few phylogeographic studies available (Dergam et al, ; Hubert et al, ; Perdices, Bermingham, Montilla, & Doadrio, ) have mainly targeted species distributed along the Amazon basin or Central America (Bermingham & Martin, ; Hrbek, Seckinger, & Meyer, ; Martin & Bermingham, ; Musilová, Rícan, Janko, & Novák, ; Picq, Alda, Krahe, & Bermingham, ; Reeves & Bermingham, ; Smith & Bermingham, ; Travenzoli et al, ).…”

Drivers of bromeliad leaf and floral bract variation across a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Forest

“…The high biodiversity found in the Neotropical region is driven by multiple abiotic and biotic factors occurring simultaneously over different spatial and temporal scales (Antonelli et al, 2018;Antonelli & Sanmartín, 2011). Variation through space and environment can promote adaptive responses in species (Morales, De-la-Mora, & Piñero, 2018;Nosil, 2012).…”

Bayesian spatio‐temporal reconstruction reveals rapid diversification and Pleistocene range expansion in the widespread columnar cactus Pilosocereus

“…The timing and potential diversification drivers behind the Neotropic's hyperdiversity are still under debate (Antonelli et al., ). Geological events during the Neogene (23–2.6 million years, Ma), including the uplift of the northern Andes and the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama, have been suggested as responsible for major vegetation changes (Antonelli & Sanmartín, ; Bacon et al., ).…”

“…Palynological evidence supports vegetation changes in this period (Behling, Bush, & Hooghiemstra, ; Van der Hammen & Hooghiemstra, ), but whether Pleistocene glacial–interglacial cycles affected only species distribution ranges or were linked to an increase in speciation rates is a matter of debate, likely dependent on the age and phytogeographical adscription of the Neotropical lineage (De‐Nova et al., ; Hoorn et al., ; Koenen, Clarkson, Pennington, & Chatrou, ). For example, molecular time estimates of Amazonian lowland rain forest taxa support pre‐Pleistocene diversification (Antonelli et al., ; Hoorn et al., ), though the age of extant species may be younger (Garzón‐Orduña et al., ). For drought‐adapted Neotropical taxa (Table ), the age of diversification ranges between the early Cenozoic and the Pleistocene.…”