Molecular Evolution and the Latitudinal Biodiversity Gradient

Overview

Journal Heredity (Edinb)

Specialty Genetics

Date 2013 Mar 15

PMID 23486082

Citations 30

Authors

E J Dowle

M Morgan-Richards

S A Trewick

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Species density is higher in the tropics (low latitude) than in temperate regions (high latitude) resulting in a latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG). The LBG must be generated by differential rates of speciation and/or extinction and/or immigration among regions, but the role of each of these processes is still unclear. Recent studies examining differences in rates of molecular evolution have inferred a direct link between rate of molecular evolution and rate of speciation, and postulated these as important drivers of the LBG. Here we review the molecular genetic evidence and examine the factors that might be responsible for differences in rates of molecular evolution. Critical to this is the directionality of the relationship between speciation rates and rates of molecular evolution.

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