RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The dimensions of species diversity
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 400481
DO 10.1101/400481
A1 Matthew J. Larcombe
A1 Gregory J. Jordan
A1 David Bryant
A1 Steven I. Higgins
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/26/400481.abstract
AB Diversification processes underpin the patterns of species diversity that fascinate biologists. Two competing hypotheses disagree about the effect of competition on these processes. The bounded hypothesis suggests that species diversity is limited (bounded) by competition between species for finite niche space, while the unbounded hypothesis proposes that evolution and ecological opportunity associated with speciation, render competition unimportant. We use phylogenetically structured niche modelling, to show that processes consistent with both these diversification models have driven species accumulation in conifers. In agreement with the bounded hypothesis, niche competition constrained diversification, and in line with the unbounded hypothesis, niche evolution and partitioning promoted diversification. We then analyse niche traits to show that these diversification enhancing and inhibiting processes can occur simultaneously on different niche dimensions. Together these results suggests a new hypothesis for lineage diversification based on the multi-dimensional nature of ecological niches that accommodates both bounded and unbounded diversification processes.