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1. Phylogenetic and Functional Biogeographic Approach for Rodent Conservation Across an Environmental Gradient in Chile

   https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70108  

   Hernández‐Mazariegos, Wendy C; Torres, Felipe I; Brennan, Reilly; Escobar, Luis E; Palma, R Eduardo; Ibáñez, Christian M (December 2025, Journal of Biogeography)

   ABSTRACT AimUnderstanding how abiotic factors influence species diversity, evolution and functional patterns of species is crucial for biodiversity conservation and for the management of terrestrial protected areas. We evaluate biogeographic and phylogenetic metrics in rodents to understand biodiversity patterns and improve wildlife conservation strategies. LocationChile, South America. TaxonRodents (Mammalia, Rodentia). MethodsWe updated the phylogeny of rodent species in Chile using gene sequences retrieved from GenBank. We used the phylogenetic tree to calculate different biodiversity indices. We analysed Species Richness (SR), observed and standard effect size (SES) of Phylogenetic Diversity (PD), Phylogenetic Endemism (PE), and Functional Diversity (FD) across different ecoregions, climatic regions, and terrestrial protected areas along gradients of temperature and precipitation. ResultsWe found high rodent diversity in north and central‐south Chile, and an association between phylogenetic and functional indices. Diversity indices (SR, SES.PD, SES.PE, SES.PE) were strongly associated with ecoregions, with the highest indices occurring in a high‐altitude ecoregion (i.e., Puna), Polar climatic region, and unprotected areas. Main ConclusionsSpatial congruence among diversity indices suggests that species composition and evolutionary history play a fundamental role in structuring rodent species assemblages. Areas with high diversity indices delineate regions with high species richness that experience higher species diversification (PD), leading to ecological specialisation (FD) and endemism (PE). The linkages between diversity indices and ecoregions suggest that environmental heterogeneity within ecoregions drives variation in community composition. Environmental variation may be more pronounced in harsh habitats (e.g., Atacama Desert), while weak in benign habitats (e.g., Puna). The spatial mismatch between biodiversity hotspots and protected areas suggests that key evolutionary and ecological processes could be occurring outside current protected areas, raising concerns about the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation strategies. 

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2. Variation in Leaf Reflectance Spectra Across the California Flora Partitioned by Evolutionary History, Geographic Origin, and Deep Time

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG007160  

   Griffith, Daniel M.; Byrd, Kristin B.; Taylor, Niky; Allan, Elijah; Bittner, Liz; O'Brien, Bart; Parker, V. Thomas; Vasey, Michael C.; Pavlick, Ryan; Nemani, Ramakrishna R. (February 2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences)

   Abstract Evolutionary relatedness underlies patterns of functional diversity in the natural world. Hyperspectral remote sensing has the potential to detect these patterns in plants through inherited patterns of leaf reflectance spectra. We collected leaf reflectance data across the California flora from plants grown in a common garden. Regions of the reflectance spectra vary in the depth and strength of phylogenetic signal. We also show that these differences are much greater than variation due to the geographic origin of the plant. At the phylogenetic extent of the California flora, spectral variation explained by the combination of ecotypic variation (divergent evolution) and convergent evolution of disparate lineages was minimal (3%–7%) but statistically significant. Interestingly, at the extent of a single genus (Arctostaphylos) no unique variation could be attributed to geographic origin. However, up to 18% of the spectral variation amongArctostaphylosindividuals was shared between phylogeny and intraspecific variation stemming from ecotypic differences (i.e., geographic origin). Future studies could conduct more structured experiments (e.g., transplants or observations along environmental gradients) to disentangle these sources of variation and include other intraspecific variation (e.g., plasticity). We constrain broad‐scale spectral variability due to ecotypic sources, providing further support for the idea that phylogenetic clusters of species might be detectable through remote sensing. Phylogenetic clusters could represent a valuable dimension of biodiversity monitoring and detection. 

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3. The unique morphological basis and repeated evolutionary origins of personate flowers in Penstemon

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70078  

   Depatie, Trinity H; Wessinger, Carolyn A (August 2025, American Journal of Botany)

   Abstract PremiseAdaptive radiation in ecologically and morphologically diverse plant lineages presents an opportunity to investigate the rapid evolution of novel floral traits. While some types of floral traits, such as flower color, are well characterized, other types of complex morphologies remain understudied. One example is occluded personate flowers, dorsoventrally compressed flowers with obstructed floral passageways, which have evolved in multiple genera, but have only been characterized from snapdragon. MethodsOur study examined the morphological basis and evolutionary history of personate flowers in a clade ofPenstemonspecies that includes three personate‐flowered species. We characterized floral morphology and inferred phylogenetic relationships for 13 species in this group to examine the evolutionary history of personate flowers. We used phylogenomic tests for introgression to examine whether personate‐flowered lineages have a history of introgression. ResultsUnlike the personate flowers of snapdragon, personate flowers inPenstemonare produced by deep pleats in the ventral petal tissue that curve the ventral petal surface upward, obstructing the floral tube opening. Our phylogenetic tree suggests that personate flowers evolved in two separate lineages. Phylogenomic analyses indicate incomplete lineage sorting and introgression between certain taxa have contributed to phylogenomic discordance; however, we found little evidence of recent introgression between the two personate‐flowered lineages. ConclusionsPersonate flowers inPenstemonhave a different morphological basis than those in snapdragon. Personate flowers have evolved multiple times inPenstemonon a rapid evolutionary timescale. The source of genetic variation for repeated shifts may be de novo mutations or pre‐existing variants. 

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4. Forest types outpaced tree species in centroid-based range shifts under global change

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1366568  

   Abbasi, Akane O; Woodall, Christopher W; Gamarra, Javier_G P; Hui, Cang; Picard, Nicolas; Ochuodho, Thomas; de-Miguel, Sergio; Sahay, Rajeev; Fei, Songlin; Paquette, Alain; et al (March 2024, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)

   Mounting evidence suggests that geographic ranges of tree species worldwide are shifting under global environmental changes. Little is known, however, about if and how these species’ range shifts may trigger the range shifts of various types of forests. Markowitz’s portfolio theory of investment and its broad application in ecology suggest that the range shift of a forest type could differ substantially from the range shifts of its constituent tree species. MethodsHere, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the range shifts of forest types and the mean of their constituent species between 1970–1999 and 2000–2019 across Alaska, Canada, and the contiguous United States using continent-wide forest inventory data. We first identified forest types in each period using autoencoder neural networks and K-means cluster analysis. For each of the 43 forest types that were identified in both periods, we systematically compared historical range shifts of the forest type and the mean of its constituent tree species based on the geographic centroids of interpolated distribution maps. ResultsWe found that forest types shifted at 86.5 km·decade^-1on average, more than three times as fast as the average of constituent tree species (28.8 km·decade^-1). We showed that a predominantly positive covariance of the species range and the change of species relative abundance triggers this marked difference. DiscussionOur findings provide an important scientific basis for adaptive forest management and conservation, which primarily depend on individual species assessment, in mitigating the impacts of rapid forest transformation under climate change. 

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5. Diversification and Colonisation in the Indo‐Australian Archipelago: Genomic Insights From Colubrid Snakes

   https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70202  

   Bernstein, Justin M; Austin, Christopher C; Soto‐Centeno, J Angel; Huang, Tianqi; Roberts, Jackson R; McGuire, Jimmy A; Iskandar, Djoko T; Iova, Bulisa; Frederick, Jeffrey H; Sanguila, Marites B; et al (April 2026, Journal of Biogeography)

   ABSTRACT AimThe Indo‐Australian Archipelago (IAA) is one of the most geologically complex and species‐rich regions on Earth. However, our knowledge of the geological processes and dispersal mechanisms that generate archipelago‐wide distributions across the IAA is limited to a few vertebrate groups and often solely attributed to Plio‐Pleistocene sea‐level fluctuations. In this study, we use phylogenomics‐based analyses to investigate two speciose and closely related genera of snakes,LycodonandStegonotus(Serpentes: Colubridae), which are widely distributed across the IAA to identify which biogeographic and environmental processes have shaped snake diversity in this region. LocationSouth Asia and the Indo‐Australian Archipelago (Indochina, Sundaland, Philippines, Wallacea, Australasia). TaxonSnakes (Colubridae:Lycodon, Stegonotus). MethodsWe inferred a phylogeny using a genomic dataset consisting of ultraconserved elements, anchored hybrid enrichment loci, and protein‐coding genes (~5400 nuclear loci) from 38 species (154 samples) ofLycodonandStegonotus. We used ancestral range estimation analysis to identify dispersal patterns across the IAA. Additionally, we implemented ensemble species distribution models to identify potential hotspots ofLycodonandStegonotusspecies richness and determined the environmental influence on geographic distributions and species diversity. ResultsWe find that these snakes comprise six deeply divergent lineages (genera) that initially originated in Mainland Southeast Asia during the Oligocene. Diversification of these lineages is influenced not by Plio‐Pleistocene sea‐level fluctuations but by multiple historical processes, including in situ diversification, island hopping, long‐distance rafting, possible microcontinental block drifting, Cenozoic land bridge migrations and founder events. The species distribution models do not consistently estimate lower or higher species richness in any particular region within the IAA, but precipitation overall is considered an important factor in estimated species richness. Main ConclusionAlthough Plio‐Pleistocene sea‐level fluctuations are notorious species pump diversification paradigms in the IAA, multiple and more ancient geological processes and environmental factors contributed to current diversity levels and distributions. Our approach expands future investigations of alternative hypotheses of biodiversity sources in the IAA and greatly expands the diversity of causal mechanisms for discussions of terrestrial Southeast Asian biodiversity beyond dispersal versus vicariance hypotheses. 

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