The Shared Evolutionary History of South America’s Mountain Biotas : Genetic Evidence from Amphibians and Reptiles
Prates, Ivan LU
; Fouquet, Antoine
; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut
and Kok, Philippe J.R.
(2026)
In Sustainable Development Goals Series
Part F1174.
p.119-133
- Abstract
South America’s major montane systems (Andes, Pantepui, Atlantic Forest) host many endemic lineages, including some that are phylogenetically related across these systems yet highly divergent from lineages in the intervening lowlands. This pattern likely reflects historical vicariance, dispersals, and extinctions, but the spatiotemporal context of these events relative to environmental changes and biotic interactions are poorly understood. We review investigations of amphibian and squamate reptiles and hypotheses of historical biogeography to assess the factors behind phylogenetic affinities across mountains thousands of kilometers apart. We summarize genetic insights into how past shifts in geology and climate possibly fostered range... (More)
South America’s major montane systems (Andes, Pantepui, Atlantic Forest) host many endemic lineages, including some that are phylogenetically related across these systems yet highly divergent from lineages in the intervening lowlands. This pattern likely reflects historical vicariance, dispersals, and extinctions, but the spatiotemporal context of these events relative to environmental changes and biotic interactions are poorly understood. We review investigations of amphibian and squamate reptiles and hypotheses of historical biogeography to assess the factors behind phylogenetic affinities across mountains thousands of kilometers apart. We summarize genetic insights into how past shifts in geology and climate possibly fostered range expansions and vicariance and triggered evolutionary radiations. We describe an emerging picture of ancient clades that formerly spanned broad ranges but have gone extinct in the lowlands, likely before the Neogene, persisting and diversifying on summits and slopes. Clade persistence and restriction to mountains may reflect ecophysiological adaptations or constraints, priority effects, decreasing competition with increasing altitudes, and altitudinal gradients allowing organisms to track environmental conditions. Conversely, profound and potentially rapid lineage turnover in the lowlands contributed to present-day altitudinal transitions in species composition. We conclude by outlining outstanding questions and challenges to uncovering the shared herpetofaunal history of South America’s mountains.
(Less)
- author
- Prates, Ivan
LU
; Fouquet, Antoine
; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut
and Kok, Philippe J.R.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Amazonia, Andes, Atlantic Forest, Biogeography, Herpetofauna, Neotropics, Pantepui, Phylogenetics, Speciation
- host publication
- Andean Herpetofauna : Explorations of Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation - Explorations of Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation
- series title
- Sustainable Development Goals Series
- volume
- Part F1174
- pages
- 15 pages
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105022684703
- ISSN
- 2523-3092
- 2523-3084
- ISBN
- 978-3-032-00073-6
- 978-3-032-00074-3
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-032-00074-3_7
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c43f9df9-bf9f-464a-b9e7-d2638f0fdc6d
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-11 10:45:10
- date last changed
- 2026-02-11 10:48:21
@inbook{c43f9df9-bf9f-464a-b9e7-d2638f0fdc6d,
abstract = {{<p>South America’s major montane systems (Andes, Pantepui, Atlantic Forest) host many endemic lineages, including some that are phylogenetically related across these systems yet highly divergent from lineages in the intervening lowlands. This pattern likely reflects historical vicariance, dispersals, and extinctions, but the spatiotemporal context of these events relative to environmental changes and biotic interactions are poorly understood. We review investigations of amphibian and squamate reptiles and hypotheses of historical biogeography to assess the factors behind phylogenetic affinities across mountains thousands of kilometers apart. We summarize genetic insights into how past shifts in geology and climate possibly fostered range expansions and vicariance and triggered evolutionary radiations. We describe an emerging picture of ancient clades that formerly spanned broad ranges but have gone extinct in the lowlands, likely before the Neogene, persisting and diversifying on summits and slopes. Clade persistence and restriction to mountains may reflect ecophysiological adaptations or constraints, priority effects, decreasing competition with increasing altitudes, and altitudinal gradients allowing organisms to track environmental conditions. Conversely, profound and potentially rapid lineage turnover in the lowlands contributed to present-day altitudinal transitions in species composition. We conclude by outlining outstanding questions and challenges to uncovering the shared herpetofaunal history of South America’s mountains.</p>}},
author = {{Prates, Ivan and Fouquet, Antoine and Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut and Kok, Philippe J.R.}},
booktitle = {{Andean Herpetofauna : Explorations of Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation}},
isbn = {{978-3-032-00073-6}},
issn = {{2523-3092}},
keywords = {{Amazonia; Andes; Atlantic Forest; Biogeography; Herpetofauna; Neotropics; Pantepui; Phylogenetics; Speciation}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{119--133}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Sustainable Development Goals Series}},
title = {{The Shared Evolutionary History of South America’s Mountain Biotas : Genetic Evidence from Amphibians and Reptiles}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00074-3_7}},
doi = {{10.1007/978-3-032-00074-3_7}},
volume = {{Part F1174}},
year = {{2026}},
}