Are there many different routes to becoming a global biodiversity hotspot

摘要: A major question in evolution and ecology is why biodiversity so unevenly distributed across the planet. The most obvious salient diversity pattern order-of-magnitude greater species richness tropics compared with temperate zones. Superimposed on this latitudinal gradient a much more complex intricate of regional local hotspots (1, 2). These are places unusually high concentrations especially endemic species. Documenting these patterns great significance, obviously for conservation, ever sophisticated higher-resolution hotspot maps becoming available as world’s biota mapped detail (3). More fundamentally, we need to document understand underlying macroevolutionary ecological processes shaping distribution Earth. Most globally significant lie firmly within or Mediterranean climate zones world, such California Cape Floristic Region South Africa. Several coincide mountain ranges, including notably tropical Andes Hengduan Mountains, two hottest (2, 4). It Mountain that focus Xing Ree’s study PNAS (5), which provides first integrated analysis evolutionary origins biotic assembly plant diversity. Although formal quantification really only started 30 y ago (1), outstanding Mountains has been known than 150 y, having revealed by intrepid 19th century collectors—Joseph Hooker, Ernest Wilson, George Forrest, Frank Kingdon-Ward, others. explorers penetrated into deeply dissected remote mountains river gorges Yunnan, Sichuan, Sikkim, eastern Tibet search botanical novelties garden plants, … [↵][1]1Email: colin.hughes{at}systbot.uzh.ch. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1