Montane forest evolution during the last 650 000 yr in Colombia: a multivariate approach based on pollen record Funza-I

Diversification in the Andes: the Atlapetes brush‐finches

“…Within the last one million years, glacial cycles appear to have been more frequent and severe (Hooghiemstra et al . ); this intense period of climatic change produced elevational shifts in the distribution of montane forests which at times increased their extension as a consequence of an altitudinal shift downwards of approximately 1000 m (Veer & Hooghiemstra ; Hooghiemstra & van der Hammen ; Weng et al . ).…”

“…The northern group (Clade E) experienced a burst of differentiation, likely associated to Pleistocene glacial cycles that promoted climatic change along the Andes. Within the last one million years, glacial cycles appear to have been more frequent and severe (Hooghiemstra et al 1993); this intense period of climatic change produced elevational shifts in the distribution of montane forests which at times increased their extension as a consequence of an altitudinal shift downwards of approximately 1000 m (Veer & Hooghiemstra 2000;Hooghiemstra & van der Hammen 2004;Weng et al 2007). Atlapetes taxa in Clade H seem to fit closely to this pattern: intermingling of species with yellow and grey underparts seem to describe a period of diversification promoting the speciation of UM taxa in high glacial cycles (A. melanopsis, A. albiceps, A. rufigenis, A. taczanowskii and A. schistaceus); whereas in high humidity periods (interglacial), differentiation of yellow-plumaged taxa in lower middle-montane elevations may have been possible (A. comptus, A. pallidinucha and A. latinuchus).…”

Response to: A paleoecological context to assess the development of oak forest in Colombia: A comment on Zorrilla‐Azcué, S., González‐Rodríguez, A., Oyama, K., González, M.A. & Rodríguez‐Correa, H., The DNA history of a lonely oak: Quercus humboldtii phylogeography in the Colombian Andes. Ecology and Evolution 2021, doi:10.1002/ece3.7529

“…One of the mentioned explanations is that: … the cordilleras of Colombia have had relatively stable, moist, climatic conditions since 350,000 years before present.… Several periods of cooling, … are considered to have caused a general descent in the elevation of Andean forest of ca. 500 m (Veer & Hooghiemstra, 2000 ), that did not compromise their persistence. (Sanín et al, 2017 , page 296, “Phylogeographical Patterns” 2nd paragraph) And, this same idea was explained in our paper: (Sanín et al, 2017 ) mentioned that even during glacial periods, it is likely that the altitudinal descent of the vegetation belt did not compromise the persistence and connectivity of Ceroxylon populations in the northern Andes.…”

“…… the cordilleras of Colombia have had relatively stable, moist, climatic conditions since 350,000 years before present.… Several periods of cooling, … are considered to have caused a general descent in the elevation of Andean forest of ca. 500 m (Veer & Hooghiemstra, 2000 ), that did not compromise their persistence. (Sanín et al, 2017 , page 296, “Phylogeographical Patterns” 2nd paragraph) …”

“…One of the mentioned explanations is that: … the cordilleras of Colombia have had relatively stable, moist, climatic conditions since 350,000 years before present.… Several periods of cooling, … are considered to have caused a general descent in the elevation of Andean forest of ca. 500 m (Veer & Hooghiemstra, 2000), that did not compromise their persistence. (Sanín et al, 2017, page 296, "Phylogeographical Patterns" 2nd paragraph) And, this same idea was explained in our paper: (Sanín et al, 2017) We would like to address the comment on the conclusion Hooghiemstra et al (2022) have reached that our proposed demographic scenarios in (Zorrilla-Azcué et al, 2021) are not appropriate by arguing the rationale behind the two that have been criticized (scenario 2 and 3).…”