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Untangling the relationship between morphological evolution and lineage diversification is key to explain global patterns of phenotypic disparity across the Tree of Life. Few studies have examined the relationship between high morphological disparity and extinction. In this study, we infer phylogenetic relationships and lineage divergence times within Eupomphini (Meloidae), a tribe of blister beetles endemic to the arid zone of North America, which exhibits a puzzling pattern of very low species richness but wild variation in morphological diversity across extant taxa. Using Bayesian and maximum likelihood inference, we estimate diversification and phenotypic evolutionary rates and infer the time and magnitude of extinction rate shifts and mass extinction events. Our results suggest that Eupomphini underwent an event of ancient radiation coupled with rapid morphological change, possibly linked to the loss of the evolutionary constraint in the elytral shape. A high extinction background associated to the Miocene-Pliocene transition decimated the diversity within each major clade, resulting in the species-poor genera observed today. Our study supports a connection between high extinction rates and patterns of decoupled phenotypic evolution and lineage diversification, and the possibility of a radiation in the absence of ecological release., This work was supported by grants given by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico [CONACyT, Mexico, Proyecto SEP- Ciencia Básica no. 220454] and UNAM [DGAPA-PAPIITno. IN207016] to AZR, and Project Grants from Spain to IS and MGP: CGL2015-67849-P (MINECO/FEDER) & CGL2015-66571-P (MINECO/FEDER).

We studied the phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of suboscine passerines in the genus Scytalopus (Rhinocryptidae), a widespread, species-rich, and taxonomically challenging group of Neotropical birds. We analyzed nuclear (exons, regions flanking ultraconserved elements) and mitochondrial (ND2) DNA sequence data for a taxonomically and geographically comprehensive sample of specimens collected from Costa Rica to Patagonia and Brazil. We found that Scytalopus is a monophyletic group sister to Eugralla and consists of 3 main clades roughly distributed in (1) the Southern Andes, (2) eastern Brazil, and (3) the Tropical Andes and Central America. The clades from the Southern Andes and eastern Brazil are sister to each other. Despite their confusing uniformity in plumage coloration, body shape, and overall appearance, rates of species accumulation through time in Scytalopus since the origin of the clade in the Late Miocene are unusually high compared with those of other birds, suggesting rapid non-adaptive diversification in the group. We attribute this to their limited dispersal abilities making them speciation-prone and their occurrence in a complex landscape with numerous barriers promoting allopatric differentiation. Divergence times among species and downturns in species accumulation rates in recent times suggest that most speciation events in Scytalopus predate climatic oscillations of the Pleistocene. Our analyses identified various cases of strong genetic structure within species and lack of monophyly of taxa, flagging populations which likely merit additional study to clarify their taxonomic status. In particular, detailed analyses of species limits are due in S. parvirostris, S. latrans, S. speluncae, the S. atratus complex, and the Southern Andes clade.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES One of the major causes of the phylogenetic, temporal and spatial variation of species richness is attributed to the processes of differential speciation and extinction of lineages, named diversification. There is also a great phenotypic diversity among species that may be related to diversification. The development of phylogenetic comparative methods allowed the study of the diversification and evolution of species traits. The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern of diversification and trait evolution of the suckermouth armored catfish, Loricariinae subfamily, and to investigate if these attributes are related to the diversification rates within the clade. We used a phylogeny containing 114 representatives of subfamily species and their attributes body size, climatic niche and microhabitat (substrate) - position and width for both - to evaluate the evolutionary rates and test the relationship between these different axes of the species niche and their evolutionary rates. We estimated diversification rates with BAMM and performed phylogenetic correlation analyzes (STRAPP) to address the question of whether the attributes are related to the diversification process in the subfamily. We also performed analyzes of disparity through time (DTT) to explore the temporal pattern of phenotypic evolution. The diversification analysis showed that the subfamily had high rates of diversification. Body size presented heterogeneous rates among clades, presenting a shift of diversification in which the specie Paraloricaria agastor had the smallest size of the clade. Climatic niche position presented a heterogeneous pattern of diversification rates, with a shift involving six species of Rineloricaria that retained their niche position. Diversification of the climatic niche width revealed the most heterogeneous pattern, presenting four shifts occurring in clades in which some species possessed greater climatic niche widths. However, the rates of diversification of both micro-habitat position and width did not show any shift. The STRAPP test revealed no correlation between any of the traits studied with diversification, showing that evolutionary process of Loricariinae seems to be independent of the phenotypic attributes investigated. The DTT revealed that in most of the Loricariinae’s evolutionary history, the averages of disparity of the studied attributes evolved under neutral evolution, although they presented peaks of phenotypic disparity within the clades in the most recent time. The results showed that Loricarinae evolved through a non-adaptive radiation where vicariant events would have promoted allopatric speciation and the high diversification rates. In fact, it is known that the radiation of Neotropical fishes was closely related to geological processes of basin formation (hydrogeological hypothesis). DTTs analyzes reinforces this claim, because in most of the evolutionary history the attributes evolved neutrally, without association with diversification, as expected in non-adaptive radiation. Although the subfamily evolved under non-adaptive radiation, divergent selection processes possibly occurred in species independently, promoting significant disparity of attributes within the clades at the present time. The results obtained highlights a peculiar evolutionary history for Loricariinae and a unique known example of nonadaptive radiation for the Neotropics, which can be enlighten the understanding of the yet little known processes that led to the extraordinary diversification of the Neotropical fishes. Uma das causas da variação filogenética, temporal e espacial da riqueza das espécies são atribuídas aos processos de especiação e extinção diferencial das linhagens, chamado de diversificação. Existe também uma grande diversidade fenotípica entre as espécies que pode estar relacionada à diversificação. O desenvolvimento de métodos filogenéticos comparativos permitiu o estudo da diversificação e evolução de atributos das espécies. O objetivo do presente estudo é investigar os padrões de diversificação e evolução de atributos de peixes Cascudos da subfamília Loricariinae, e investigar se esses atributos estão correlacionados com as taxas de diversificação. Foi utilizada uma filogenia contendo 114 representantes de espécies da subfamília e os atributos tamanho corporal, posição e largura de nicho climático de microhábitat (substrato), para avaliar as taxas evolutivas e relação entre esses diferentes eixos do nicho das espécies e as taxas evolutivas da subfamília. As taxas de diversificação da subfamília e dos atributos foram estimadas através do BAMM e foram realizadas análises de correlação filogenética (STRAPP) a fim de detectar se os atributos estão moldando o processo de diversificação na subfamília. Foram realizadas também análises de disparidade ao longo do tempo (DTT) para explorar o padrão temporal de evolução fenotípica. A análise de diversificação mostrou que a subfamília possui altas taxas de diversificação. O tamanho corporal apresentou taxas heterogêneas entre os subclados, apresentando um shift de diversificação no clado em que a espécie Paraloricaria agastor apresentou o menor tamanho do clado. A posição de nicho climático apresentou um padrão heterogêneo de taxas de diversificação, apresentando um shift envolvendo seis espécies de Rineloricaria que conservaram sua posição de nicho. A diversificação da largura de nicho climático revelou o padrão mais heterogêneo, apresentando quatro shifts que ocorreram em clados que contém espécies com maiores larguras de nicho climático. Já as taxas de diversificação da posição e largura de micro-hábitat não apresentaram shifts. Os testes STRAPP revelaram não haver correlação entre nenhum dos atributos considerados no presente estudo e a diversificação, mostrando que o processo evolutivo de Loricariinae parece ser independente dos atributos fenotípicos investigados. O DTT revelou que na maior parte da história evolutiva da subfamília as médias de disparidade dos atributos estudados evoluíram de forma neutra, porém apresentaram picos de disparidade fenotípica dentro dos clados no tempo mais recente. Os resultados mostram que provavelmente os Loricaríneos evoluíram através de uma radiação não adaptativa onde eventos vicariantes teriam promovido especiação alopátrica e as altas taxas de diversificação. De fato, acredita-se que a radiação dos peixes Neotropicais esteve intimamente relacionada aos processos geológicos de formação de bacias (hipótese hidrogeológica). O DTT reforça essa conclusão, pois em boa parte da história evolutiva os atributos evoluíram neutramente, sem associação com a diversificação, como seria esperado em uma radiação não adaptativa. Entretanto, apesar de a subfamília ter evoluído sob radiação não adaptativa, processos de seleção divergente possivelmente ocorreram em espécies independentemente, promovendo disparidade significativa dos atributos dentro dos clados no tempo presente. Os resultados obtidos revelam uma história evolutiva peculiar para os Loricaríneos e um exemplo raro de radiação não adaptativa nos Neotrópicos, que pode elucidar o entendimento dos processos que levaram a extraordinária diversificação dos peixes Neotropicais, ainda pouco conhecidos. São Cristóvão, SE

Background Life diversifies via adaptive radiation when natural selection drives the evolution of ecologically distinct species mediated by their access to novel niche space, or via non-adaptive radiation when new species diversify while retaining ancestral niches. However, while cases of adaptive radiation are widely documented, examples of non-adaptively radiating lineages remain rarely observed. A prolific cold-climate lizard radiation from South America (Phymaturus), sister to a hyper-diverse adaptive radiation (Liolaemus), has extensively diversified phylogenetically and geographically, but with exceptionally minimal ecological and life-history diversification. This lineage, therefore, may offer unique opportunities to investigate the non-adaptive basis of diversification, and in combination with Liolaemus, to cover the whole spectrum of modes of diversification predicted by theory, from adaptive to non-adaptive. Using phylogenetic macroevolutionary modelling performed on a newly created 58-species molecular tree, we establish the tempo and mode of diversification in the Phymaturus radiation. Results Lineage accumulation in Phymaturus opposes a density-dependent (or ‘niche-filling’) process of diversification. Concurrently, we found that body size diversification is better described by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck evolutionary model, suggesting stabilizing selection as the mechanism underlying niche conservatism (i.e., maintaining two fundamental size peaks), and which has predominantly evolved around two major adaptive peaks on a ‘Simpsonian’ adaptive landscape. Conclusions Lineage diversification of the Phymaturus genus does not conform to an adaptive radiation, as it is characterised by a constant rate of species accumulation during the clade’s history. Their strict habitat requirements (rocky outcrops), predominantly invariant herbivory, and especially the constant viviparous reproduction across species have likely limited their opportunities for adaptive diversifications throughout novel environments. This mode of diversification contrasts dramatically with its sister lineage Liolaemus, which geographically overlaps with Phymaturus, but exploits all possible microhabitats in these and other bioclimatic areas. Our study contributes importantly to consolidate these lizards (liolaemids) as promising model systems to investigate the entire spectrum of modes of species formations, from the adaptive to the non-adaptive extremes of the continuum. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1133-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background The picturesque limestone karsts across the Sino-Vietnamese border are renowned biodiversity hotspot, distinguished for extremely high endemism of calciphilous plants restricted to caves and cave-like microhabitats that have functioned as biological refugia on the otherwise harsh habitats. To understand evolutionary mechanisms underlying the splendid limestone flora, dated phylogeny is reconstructed for Asian Begonia, a species-rich genus on limestone substrates represented by no less than 60 species in southern China, using DNA sequences of nrITS and chloroplast rpL16 intron. The sampling includes 94 Begonia species encompassing most major Asian clades with a special emphasized on Chinese species. Results Except for two tuberous deciduous species and a species with upright stems, a majority of Sino-Vietnamese limestone Begonia (SVLB), including sect. Coelocentrum (19 species sampled) and five species of sect. Diploclinium, Leprosae, and Petermannia, are rhizomatous and grouped in a strongly supported and yet internally poorly resolved clade (Clade SVLB), suggesting a single evolutionary origin of the adaptation to limestone substrates by rhizomatous species, subsequent species radiation, and a strong tendency to retain their ancestral niche. Divergence-time estimates indicate a late Miocene diversification of Clade SVLB, coinciding with the onset of the East Asian monsoon and the period of extensive karstification in the area. Conclusions Based on our phylogenetic study, Begonia sect. Coelocentrum is recircumscribed and expanded to include other members of the Clade SVLB (sect. Diploclinium: B. cavaleriei, B. pulvinifera, and B. wangii; sect. Leprosae: B. cylindrica and B. leprosa; sect. Petermannia: B. sinofloribunda). Because species of Clade SVLB have strong niche conservatism to retain in their ancestral habitats in cave-like microhabitats and Begonia are generally poor dispersers prone to diversify allopatrically, we propose that extensive and continuous karstification of the Sino-Vietnamese limestone region facilitated by the onset of East Asian monsoon since the late Miocene has been the major driving force for species accumulation via geographic isolation in Clade SVLB. Morphologically species of Clade SVLB differ mainly in vegetative traits without apparent adaptive value, suggesting that limestone Begonia radiation is better characterized as non-adaptive, an underappreciated speciation mode crucial for rapid species accumulations in organisms of low vagility and strong niche conservatism.