Abstract
Because body size interacts with many fundamental biological properties of
a species, body size evolution can be an essential component of the generation
and maintenance of biodiversity. Here we investigate how body size
evolution can be linked to the clade-specific diversification dynamics in
different geographical regions. We analyse an extensive body size dataset
of Neogene large herbivores (covering approx. 50% of the 970 species in
the orders Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla) in Europe and North America
in a Bayesian framework. We reconstruct the temporal patterns of body
size in each order on each continent independently, and find significant
increases of minimum size in three of the continental assemblages (except
European perissodactyls), suggesting an active selection for larger bodies.
Assessment of trait-correlated birth-death models indicates that the
common trend of body size increase is generated by different processes in
different clades and regions. Larger-bodied artiodactyl species on both continents
tend to have higher origination rates, and both clades in North
America show strong links between large bodies and low extinction rate.
Collectively, our results suggest a strong role of species selection and perhaps
of higher-taxon sorting in driving body size evolution, and highlight
the value of investigating evolutionary processes in a biogeographic context.
a species, body size evolution can be an essential component of the generation
and maintenance of biodiversity. Here we investigate how body size
evolution can be linked to the clade-specific diversification dynamics in
different geographical regions. We analyse an extensive body size dataset
of Neogene large herbivores (covering approx. 50% of the 970 species in
the orders Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla) in Europe and North America
in a Bayesian framework. We reconstruct the temporal patterns of body
size in each order on each continent independently, and find significant
increases of minimum size in three of the continental assemblages (except
European perissodactyls), suggesting an active selection for larger bodies.
Assessment of trait-correlated birth-death models indicates that the
common trend of body size increase is generated by different processes in
different clades and regions. Larger-bodied artiodactyl species on both continents
tend to have higher origination rates, and both clades in North
America show strong links between large bodies and low extinction rate.
Collectively, our results suggest a strong role of species selection and perhaps
of higher-taxon sorting in driving body size evolution, and highlight
the value of investigating evolutionary processes in a biogeographic context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 20162361 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
| Volume | 284 |
| Issue number | 1849 |
| Early online date | 15 Feb 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Feb 2017 |
Keywords
- species body mass
- diversification
- biogeography
- species selection
- Cope’s rule
- higher-taxon sorting