Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research

Author(s):Show less -

Antonelli, Alexandre ^{[1, 2, 3, 4]} ; Ariza, Maria ^{[1, 3, 5]} ; Albert, James ^[6] ; Andermann, Tobias ^{[1, 3]} ; Azevedo, Josue ^{[1, 3]} ; Bacon, Christine ^{[1, 3]} ; Faurby, Soren ^{[1, 3]} ; Guedes, Thais ^{[7, 1, 8, 3]} ; Hoorn, Carina ^{[9, 10]} ; Lohmann, Lucia G. ^{[11, 12]} ; Matos-Maravi, Pavel ^{[1, 3]} ; Ritter, Camila D. ^{[1, 3]} ; Sanmartin, Isabel ^[13] ; Silvestro, Daniele ^{[14, 1, 3, 15]} ; Tejedor, Marcelo ^{[1, 3, 16]} ; ter Steege, Hans ^{[17, 18]} ; Tuomisto, Hanna ^[19] ; Werneck, Fernanda P. ^[20] ; Zizka, Alexander ^{[1, 3]} ; Edwards, V, Scott

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Univ Gothenburg, Dept Biol & Environm Sci, Gothenburg - Sweden

^[2] Gothenburg Bot Garden, Gothenburg - Sweden

^[3] V, Gothenburg Global Biodivers Ctr, Gothenburg - Sweden

^[4] V, Harvard Univ, Museum Comparat Zool, Dept Organism Biol & Evolutionary Biol, Cambridge, MA 02138 - USA

^[5] Univ Poitiers, Lab Ecol & Biol Interact, Team Ecol Evolut Symbiose, Poitiers - France

^[6] Univ Louisiana Lafayette, Dept Biol, Lafayette, LA 70504 - USA

^[7] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Diadema - Brazil

^[8] Univ Sao Paulo, Museum Zool, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[9] Univ Amsterdam, Inst Biodivers & Ecosyst Dynam, Amsterdam - Netherlands

^[10] Univ Reg Amazon IKIAM, Napo - Ecuador

^[11] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[12] Univ Calif Berkeley, Integrat Biol, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA

^[13] Real Jardin Bot, Madrid - Spain

^[14] Swiss Inst Bioinformat, Lausanne - Switzerland

^[15] Univ Lausanne, Dept Computat Biol, Lausanne - Switzerland

^[16] Inst Patagon Geol & Paleontol, Puerto Madryn - Guatemala

^[17] Nat Biodivers Ctr, Leiden - Netherlands

^[18] Free Univ Amsterdam, Syst Ecol, Amsterdam - Netherlands

^[19] Univ Turku, Dept Biol, Turku - Finland

^[20] Inst Nacl de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PeerJ; v. 6, OCT 4 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

The unparalleled biodiversity found in the American tropics (the Neotropics) has attracted the attention of naturalists for centuries. Despite major advances in recent years in our understanding of the origin and diversification of many Neotropical taxa and biotic regions, many questions remain to be answered. Additional biological and geological data are still needed, as well as methodological advances that are capable of bridging these research fields. In this review, aimed primarily at advanced students and early-career scientists, we introduce the concept of ``trans-disciplinary biogeography,{''} which refers to the integration of data from multiple areas of research in biology (e.g., community ecology, phylogeography, systematics, historical biogeography) and Earth and the physical sciences (e.g., geology, climatology, palaeontology), as a means to reconstruct the giant puzzle of Neotropical biodiversity and evolution in space and time. We caution against extrapolating results derived from the study of one or a few taxa to convey general scenarios of Neotropical evolution and landscape formation. We urge more coordination and integration of data and ideas among disciplines, transcending their traditional boundaries, as a basis for advancing tomorrow's ground-breaking research. Our review highlights the great opportunities for studying the Neotropical biota to understand the evolution of life. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/12797-1 - Biotic exchanges between Neotropical biomes: evidence from the Bignoniaceae and other angiosperm clades
• Grantee: Lúcia Garcez Lohmann
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research
• FAPESP's process: 12/50260-6 - Structure and evolution of the Amazonian biota and its environment: an integrative approach
• Grantee: Lúcia Garcez Lohmann
• Support type: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/18837-7 - Unveiling the hidden limits of species clusters: a cross-methodological approach to identify bioregions of neotropical snakes
• Grantee: Thaís Barreto Guedes da Costa
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 13/04170-8 - Historical biogeography of the snakes from open landscapes in South America
• Grantee: Thaís Barreto Guedes da Costa
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate