Macroevolutionary processes generate species diversity: a tricky business

Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi, laboratoire Biogéosciences

mardi 14 janvier 2020, à 11 heures, salle du conseil Biogéosciences

Species diversity is unevenly distributed on the planet, suggesting that the mechanisms involved in generating species diversity are multiple, complex and heterogenous. The mode and tempo of evolutionary radiations and their associated patterns of morphological evolution are crucial for understanding the interplays between intrinsic and extrinsic factors and their roles in triggering species diversification. The recent development of novel statistical packages and the increasing amount of available DNA sequence data allow us today to (i) infer diversification dynamics of lineages by locating shifts in diversification rates and identifying radiating clades, (ii) model the evolution of intrinsic and extrinsic factors through time, and (iii) disentangle the very complex interplays between earth’s history and lineages’ evolution. Here, I will present recent studies conducted on plants using Restionaceae and C₄ grasses of Southern Africa and on animals using Darwin’s finches of the Galapagos. I will show that it is now feasible to gain insights on the pace of evolutionary radiations and their associations with biological traits and paleo-ecology and –climates. However, the causalities between evolutionary radiations and intrinsic and extrinsic factors need to be studied in light of biological complexity.

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Macroevolutionary processes generate species diversity: a tricky business

Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi, laboratoire Biogéosciences

mardi 14 janvier 2020, à 11 heures, salle du conseil Biogéosciences

Species diversity is unevenly distributed on the planet, suggesting that the mechanisms involved in generating species diversity are multiple, complex and heterogenous. The mode and tempo of evolutionary radiations and their associated patterns of morphological evolution are crucial for understanding the interplays between intrinsic and extrinsic factors and their roles in triggering species diversification. The recent development of novel statistical packages and the increasing amount of available DNA sequence data allow us today to (i) infer diversification dynamics of lineages by locating shifts in diversification rates and identifying radiating clades, (ii) model the evolution of intrinsic and extrinsic factors through time, and (iii) disentangle the very complex interplays between earth’s history and lineages’ evolution. Here, I will present recent studies conducted on plants using Restionaceae and C₄ grasses of Southern Africa and on animals using Darwin’s finches of the Galapagos. I will show that it is now feasible to gain insights on the pace of evolutionary radiations and their associations with biological traits and paleo-ecology and –climates. However, the causalities between evolutionary radiations and intrinsic and extrinsic factors need to be studied in light of biological complexity.

titre:

Macroevolutionary processes generate species diversity: a tricky business

intervenant:

Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi

date:

mardi 14 janvier 2020