title: Higher speciation and lower extinction rates influence mammal diversity gradients in Asia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the patterns and correlates of mammal diversity gradients in Asia. In this study, we examine patterns of species distributions and phylogenetic diversity in Asia and investigate if the observed diversity patterns are associated with differences in diversification rates between the tropical and non-tropical regions. We used species distribution maps and phylogenetic trees to generate species and phylogenetic diversity measures for 1° × 1° cells across mainland Asia. We constructed lineage-through-time plots and estimated diversification shift-times to examine the temporal patterns of diversifications across orders. Finally, we tested if the observed gradients in Asia could be associated with geographical differences in diversification rates across the tropical and non-tropical biomes. We estimated speciation, extinction and dispersal rates across these two regions for mammals, both globally and for Asian mammals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results demonstrate strong latitudinal and longitudinal gradients of species and phylogenetic diversity with Southeast Asia and the Himalayas showing highest diversity. Importantly, our results demonstrate that differences in diversification (speciation, extinction and dispersal) rates between the tropical and the non-tropical biomes influence the observed diversity gradients globally and in Asia. For the first time, we demonstrate that Asian tropics act as both cradles and museums of mammalian diversity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Temporal and spatial variation in diversification rates across different lineages of mammals is an important correlate of species diversity gradients observed in Asia.
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bangalore - 65, India. priya.tamma@gmail.com.
authors: Krishnapriya
authors: K
authors: Tamma
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bangalore - 65, India. uramakri@ncbs.res.in.
authors: Uma
authors: U
authors: Ramakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D044822:Biodiversity; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D008322:Mammals / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Feb 17;101(7):1904-9
references: 14766971
references: Science. 2011 Oct 28;334(6055):521-4
references: 21940861
references: Am Nat. 2004 Feb;163(2):192-211
references: 14970922
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Oct 22;279(1745):4148-55
references: 22896648
references: PLoS One. 2014;9(6):e100553
references: 24971629
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2011 Aug 7;278(1716):2384-91
references: 21208967
references: Divers Distrib. 2014 Jun 1;20(6):674-685
references: 24791146
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jun 25;110(26):10487-94
references: 23759748
references: Nature. 2002 Mar 14;416(6877):159-63
references: 11894089
references: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011 Sep 12;366(1577):2526-35
references: 21807733
references: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011 Sep 12;366(1577):2536-44
references: 21807734
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Nov 7;280(1770):20131622
references: 24026818
references: Ecol Lett. 2014 May;17(5):527-36
references: 24589190
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jan 15;105(2):449-53
references: 18174330
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Jan 7;279(1726):67-76
references: 21593037
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Mar 31;95(7):3699-702
references: 9520429
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 12;108(15):6187-92
references: 21444816
references: Science. 2006 Oct 6;314(5796):102-6
references: 17023653
references: Syst Biol. 2013 Nov;62(6):837-64
references: 23925508
references: Ecology. 2006 Oct;87(10):2468-78
references: 17089656
references: Am Nat. 2007 Aug;170 Suppl 2:S16-27
references: 17874382
references: BMC Evol Biol. 2013;13:155
references: 23957450
references: Science. 2007 Mar 16;315(5818):1574-6
references: 17363673
references: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011 Sep 12;366(1577):2545-53
references: 21807735
references: Syst Biol. 2011 Jul;60(4):451-65
references: 21551125
references: Proc Biol Sci. 2009 Sep 22;276(1671):3353-9
references: 19556254
references: Evolution. 2005 Oct;59(10):2243-55
references: 16405167
references: Nature. 2007 Feb 8;445(7128):635-8
references: 17287807
references: PLoS Biol. 2014 Jan;12(1):e1001775
references: 24492316
references: Ecol Lett. 2007 Apr;10(4):315-31
references: 17355570
references: Bioinformatics. 2010 Jun 1;26(11):1463-4
references: 20395285
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 4;109(36):14482-7
references: 22908271
references: Evolution. 2007 Feb;61(2):324-33
references: 17348943
references: Science. 2009 Feb 6;323(5915):728-32
references: 19197051
references: PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e59668
references: 23573205
references: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2004 Oct 29;359(1450):1633-44
references: 15519978
references: Ecol Lett. 2008 Feb;11(2):173-83
references: 18070100
references: Bioinformatics. 2004 Jan 22;20(2):289-90
references: 14734327
references: Interface Focus. 2012 Apr 6;2(2):170-9
references: 22419989
references: Nature. 2007 Mar 29;446(7135):507-12
references: 17392779