Aridification processes associated with geological and climatic events likely played a crucial role in shaping the current global biodiversity. Although a great number of species seem to have diversified in extreme xeric conditions, arid ecosystems are among the most understudied biomes on Earth. These regions are broadly distributed where precipitation is reduced due to stable descending air and high pressure, including dry forests, deserts, arid polar, and mountain regions across the globe. While a handful of studies have pointed to the simultaneous diversification of arid-adapted lineages during the Miocene aridification, other evidence pointed to the formation of widespread deserts in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Due to the poor fossil formation in dry environments, most of these findings came from phylogenetic studies questioning how species adapted and diversified in these arid lands. Regional uplift, volcanic activity, land-sea redistribution, and global changes in CO2 concentration are among the main events associated with the increase of aridification and species radiation in these regions. The global expansion of arid environments during the late Miocene-Pliocene, for example, have provided new ecological opportunity for vegetation formations and the biota that inhabit them, ultimately resulting in adaptive irradiation for many groups of species. More recently, the Pliocene-Pleistocene global climatic shift had profound effects on the evolution of species in arid regions by changing patterns of population distribution and connectivity, besides being involved in the formation of sand deserts in Africa and Australia.
The goal of this Research Topic is to discuss the main hypotheses and recent advances in biodiversity dynamics and species diversification in arid and xeric regions. We aim to provide a broader perspective on how evolutionary processes within these regions have shaped biodiversity over time and space.
We expect to include studies on an array of taxa from different geographic regions covering ecology, biogeography, and evolution. Manuscripts might address (but are not limited to) the following topics:
• The evolution of biodiversity in arid regions
• Biogeography and diversification of arid-adapted lineages
• The role of aridification events for the establishment of the global biodiversity
• Endemism and diversity patterns along arid zones
• Community dynamics in arid lands
• Speciation and adaptive evolution in arid environments
• Conservation in arid regions
• Phylogeography and population genetics in arid environments
Aridification processes associated with geological and climatic events likely played a crucial role in shaping the current global biodiversity. Although a great number of species seem to have diversified in extreme xeric conditions, arid ecosystems are among the most understudied biomes on Earth. These regions are broadly distributed where precipitation is reduced due to stable descending air and high pressure, including dry forests, deserts, arid polar, and mountain regions across the globe. While a handful of studies have pointed to the simultaneous diversification of arid-adapted lineages during the Miocene aridification, other evidence pointed to the formation of widespread deserts in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Due to the poor fossil formation in dry environments, most of these findings came from phylogenetic studies questioning how species adapted and diversified in these arid lands. Regional uplift, volcanic activity, land-sea redistribution, and global changes in CO2 concentration are among the main events associated with the increase of aridification and species radiation in these regions. The global expansion of arid environments during the late Miocene-Pliocene, for example, have provided new ecological opportunity for vegetation formations and the biota that inhabit them, ultimately resulting in adaptive irradiation for many groups of species. More recently, the Pliocene-Pleistocene global climatic shift had profound effects on the evolution of species in arid regions by changing patterns of population distribution and connectivity, besides being involved in the formation of sand deserts in Africa and Australia.
The goal of this Research Topic is to discuss the main hypotheses and recent advances in biodiversity dynamics and species diversification in arid and xeric regions. We aim to provide a broader perspective on how evolutionary processes within these regions have shaped biodiversity over time and space.
We expect to include studies on an array of taxa from different geographic regions covering ecology, biogeography, and evolution. Manuscripts might address (but are not limited to) the following topics:
• The evolution of biodiversity in arid regions
• Biogeography and diversification of arid-adapted lineages
• The role of aridification events for the establishment of the global biodiversity
• Endemism and diversity patterns along arid zones
• Community dynamics in arid lands
• Speciation and adaptive evolution in arid environments
• Conservation in arid regions
• Phylogeography and population genetics in arid environments