Formation of rivers and mountains drives diversification of primitively segmented spiders in continental East Asia

Abstract

Aim: Complex topography in continental East Asia mirrors geological events such as formation of rivers and mountains, but to what extent these events drive diversification remains underexplored. We address this question by testing vicariant hypotheses using the primitively segmented spider genera Sinothela and Ganthela, focusing on diversification within Sinothela.Location: Continental East Asia. Methods:We employ a three-way test of six vicariant hypotheses derived from river and mountain formation: (a) phylogenetically, we evaluate the sister group relationships of lineages on either side of each barrier; (b) chronologically, we estimate the timing of splits in a time calibrated phylogenetic framework; (c) biogeographically, we infer whether each of these splits shows a reduction in ancestral areas. Results: Three-way tests fully support five barrier formation events: (a) the Oligocene-Miocene origin of Sinothela + Ganthela coincides with the 23-36.5 Ma range of the Yangtze River formation; (b) the Sinothela split into lineages on each side of the Qinling-Dabie mountains overlaps with the estimated uplift (2.6-23 Ma); (c) the origin of lineages on each side of Taihang Mts fits its hypothesized uplift (3.6-5.3 Ma); (d) the origin of lineages on each side of mid-lower Yellow River supports the timing of its formation (1.8-3.6 Ma); (e) lineages on each side of the YellowRiver eastern Ordos bend coincide with its origin (1.6 Ma). However, the Taishan Mts uplift as barrier formation is only partially supported. Main conclusions:Our results suggest vicariant origins of Sinothela and provide evidence for continental-wide vicariant events that have shaped these spiders' evolutionary history in continental East Asia. Our study also highlights how dated molecular phylogenies can narrow down too widely estimated time intervals of river and mountain formation by geologists. Primitively segmented spiders thus provide an excellent model for exploring how geological events shape biodiversity.

Using demographic model selection to untangle allopatric divergence and diversification mechanisms in the Rheum palmatum complex in the Eastern Asiatic Region

“…It is unlikely that river capture was the main driver for the divergence between the eastern and western lineages, although the models related to river capture had smaller Δ AIC values (e.g., model “no_mig,” Δ AIC = 40, see Table ). Previous studies have indicated that the time estimates of the drainage rearrangements of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River are controversial (they range from the Eocene to the late Pleistocene, see Xu, Kuntner, Liu, Chen, & Li, 2018; Yao et al., 2017, and references therein), and the younger estimate of 3.2 Ma falls within the confidence interval for the estimated divergence between the two lineages (2.38–3.40 Ma, Figure 4). However, if river capture had shaped population divergence and the genetic structure of this species complex, the genetic clusters would be expected to be separated by rivers (Wei, Meng, Bao, & Jiang, 2015; Zhang et al., 2011), which is not the case.…”

“…For instance, some key innovations may have facilitated dispersal with subsequent allopatric divergence, whereas others may have allowed species to access newly formed habitats followed by niche or biome shifts that enforce ecological divergence (Gehrke, Kandziora, & Pirie, 2016; Muellner‐Riehl et al., 2019). Furthermore, abiotic conditions (e.g., variables related to the energy–water hypothesis; O'Brien, 2006), habitat heterogeneity as well as edaphic differences between species distribution ranges may have an impact on the diversification of species and/or lineages (Antonelli et al., 2018; Rahbek, Borregaard, Colwell, et al., 2019; Xu, Dimitrov, Shrestha, Rahbek, & Wang, 2019; Xu et al., 2018). Finally, as our focal species originated via adaptive radiation (Sun et al., 2012), which usually involves rapid and extensive ecological diversification, natural selection is also likely to impact this process (Berner & Salzburger, 2015).…”

The contribution of temperature and continental fragmentation to amphibian diversification

“…On the contrary, Jordan et al (2016) concluded that continental drift is not sufficient to account for the increase in terrestrial species richness observed in the fossil record. Tectonic changes have also been examined recently by studies evaluating the effect of mountain orogeny on diversification using phylogenies of plants (Lagomarsino et al, 2016;Pérez-Escobar et al, 2017) and animals (Condamine et al, 2018;Xu, Kuntner, Liu, Chen, & Li, 2018).…”

Evolutionary history of endangered and relict tree species Dipteronia sinensis in response to geological and climatic events in the Qinling Mountains and adjacent areas

“…Our divergence estimates based on the cpDNA results suggest that the small‐magnitude uplift (early Paleocene to late Eocene) of the QM might have been an important factor responsible for the genetic alteration of D. sinensis . Recently, the divergence time of the genus Sinothela was estimated at between 23–2.6 Mya or 10–2.6 Mya in the QM (Xu et al., 2018). Some recent phylogeographical studies have also demonstrated that species distributed at high altitudes diverged due to geological changes and Tertiary climatic oscillations in the west–east and west–central–east parts of the QM (Fang et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2013; Yang et al., 2015).…”