Diversity of New World Mammals: Universality of the Latitudinal Gradients of Species and Bauplans

1995 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients

scholarly journals Using Biogeography to Assess Key Adaptation Strength in Two Bird Families

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdel H. Halloway ◽  
Christopher J. Whelan ◽  
Çağan H. Şekercioğlu ◽  
Joel S. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
New World ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
The Other ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Old World ◽  
Extended Range

AbstractAdaptations can be thought of as evolutionary technologies which allow an organism to exploit environments. Among convergent taxa, adaptations may be largely equivalent with the taxa operating in a similar set of environmental conditions, divergent with the taxa operating in different sets of environmental conditions, or superior with one taxon operating within an extended range of environmental conditions than the other. With this framework in mind, we sought to characterize the adaptations of two convergent nectarivorous bird families, the New World hummingbirds (Trochilidae) and Old World sunbirds (Nectariniidae), by comparing their biogeography. Looking at their elevational and latitudinal gradients, hummingbirds not only extend into but also maintain species richness in more extreme environments. We suspect that hummingbirds have a superior key adaptation that sunbirds lack, namely a musculoskeletal architecture that allows for hovering. Through biogeographic comparisons, we have been able to assess and understand adaptations as evolutionary technologies among two convergent bird families, a process that should work for most taxa.

Latitudinal gradients in the phenetic diversity of New World bat communities

Oikos ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Stevens ◽  
Michael R. Willig ◽  
Richard E. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Phenetic Diversity

scholarly journals Relative effects of time for speciation and tropical niche conservatism on the latitudinal diversity gradient of phyllostomid bats

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1717) ◽  
pp. 2528-2536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Niche Conservatism ◽  
Environmental Determinants ◽  
Environmental Characteristics ◽  
Latitudinal Diversity Gradient ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Diversity Gradients

Determinants of contemporary patterns of diversity, particularly those spanning extensive latitudinal gradients, are some of the most intensely debated issues in ecology. Recently, focus has shifted from a contemporary environmental perspective to a historical one in an attempt to better understand the construction of latitudinal gradients. Although the vast majority of research on historical mechanisms has focused on tropical niche conservatism (TNC), other historical scenarios could produce similar latitudinal gradients. Herein, I formalize predictions to distinguish between two such historical processes—namely time for speciation (TFS) and TNC—and test relative support based on diversity gradients of New World bats. TFS and TNC are distinctly spatial and environmental mechanisms, respectively. Nonetheless, because of the way that environmental characteristics vary spatially, these two mechanisms are hard to distinguish. Evidence provided herein suggests that TNC has had a more important effect than TFS in determining diversity gradients of New World bats. Indeed, relative effects of different historical mechanisms, as well as relative effects of historical and contemporary environmental determinants, are probably context-dependent. Future research should move away from attempting to identify the mechanism with primacy and instead attempt to understand the particular contexts in which different mechanisms have greater influence on diversity gradients.

Latitudinal gradients of genus richness and endemism and the diversification of New World bats

Ecography ◽  
2014 ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor T. Arita ◽  
Jimena Vargas-Barón ◽  
Fabricio Villalobos
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Genus Richness
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