Vicariance events shaping Southern South American insect distributions

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to use multiple insect phylogenies along with geographical information to test known vicariance hypotheses for Southern South America. We analysed the phylogenies and geographical distributions of seven insect genera endemic to southern South America using Hovenkamp's () protocol, which have been in part implemented in software (vicariance inference program). Using this software, we were able to hypothesize 55 traceable vicariance events; among these, we recognized four supported vicariance events (i.e. confirmed by more than a single sister group). The first supported vicariance event consisted of an East/West separation of the faunas in all analysed trees; the second supported vicariance event is a North/South separation of the fauna located East of the Andes; the third supported vicariance event was found in the southernmost fauna located East of the Andes, which separates allopatric Patagonian species in a North/South direction; and finally, the fourth supported vicariance event separates in a North/South direction clades of the Central Chilean fauna located West of the Andes. Our results suggest that these four supported vicariance events could be correlated with the uplifting of the Andes and the marine ingressions that occurred during the Cenozoic that is the estimated age at which these events occurred. Finally, we discuss that current software implementation of Hovenkamp's ideas need to be expanded, particularly regarding the automated selection of traceable vicariance events.

Exploring the role of climatic niche changes in the evolution of the southern South American genus Baripus (Coleoptera: Carabidae): optimization of non‐hereditary climatic variables and phylogenetic signal measurement

“…2. Considering node 29 (where Domínguez et al., 2016 hypothesized that the uplift of the Andes may have occurred] as a starting point, we found that the four climatic variables behaved differently in each Baripus subgenus. Clade A, which groups the two Chilean species of B .…”

“…One of the most important Cenozoic vicariance events for SSA is unarguably the uplift of the Andes, which has influenced the distribution patterns of the insect fauna of this region (Domínguez et al., 2016). This orogeny also brought about major climate changes (Iglesias et al., 2011), acting as a physical barrier that blocked the flow of wet winds from the Pacific Ocean as they moved inland (Lamb and Davis, 2003; Strecker et al., 2009).…”

“…These former biogeographic barriers are among the most commonly used arguments to explain the biogeographic history of several insect and arachnid genera (Roig‐Juñent, 1995; Flores and Vidal, 2000a, b; Flores and Roig‐Juñent, 2001; Donato et al., 2003; Donato, 2006; Agrain et al., 2007; Roig‐Juñent et al., 2008; Mattoni, et al., 2011; Pocco et al. 2012; Ceccarelli et al., 2016; Domínguez et al., 2016). The Andean uplift, which led to the humidification of Amazonia and aridification of Patagonia during the Miocene, is a well‐known biogeographic pattern in the Neotropical region (Antonelli et al., 2018).…”

An event model for phylogenetic biogeography using explicitly geographical ranges

“…Although it does not provide a complete computational implementation of the Hovenkamp analysis, it can be used as a starting point (see, e.g. Domínguez et al ., ).…”

A revision of Chilicola (Heteroediscelis), a subgenus of xeromelissine bees (Hymenoptera, Colletidae) endemic to Chile: taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography, with descriptions of eight new species

“…Disjunctions in distributions of sister clades correspond in many cases to the biogeographic areas described by Morrone (2015) and Peña (1966), and in a few cases to boundaries identified by others. For example, both the southern disjunction between Chilicola vina and [ Chilicola diaguita + Chilicola katherinae ] and the disjunction between Chilicola mayu and [ Chilicola curvapeligrosa + Chilicola mavida ] correspond to a vicariance event identified by Dominguez et al (2016) in tenebrionid beetles and phasmids, and indeed Peña’s boundary between the Central and Southern Andean Cordillera falls in the same general area, representing the northern limit of moderate-elevation Nothofagus woodlands (Peña 1966, Chester 2008). As well, the disjunction between Chilicola lickana and [ Chilicola guanicoe + Chilicola vicugna ] unambiguously places these taxa on either side of an occasionally-cited summer/winter rainfall divide across northern Chile, which arose 2–2.2 Mya (Amundson et al 2012), marking the boundary between the tropical and mid-latitude climate zones (Arroyo et al 1988, Messerli et al 1993, Houston 2006).…”