@article{ValenteIlleraHavensteinetal.2017, author = {Valente, Luis and Illera, Juan Carlos and Havenstein, Katja and Pallien, Tamara and Etienne, Rampal S. and Tiedemann, Ralph}, title = {Equilibrium Bird Species Diversity in Atlantic Islands}, series = {Current biology}, volume = {27}, journal = {Current biology}, publisher = {Cell Press}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {0960-9822}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.053}, pages = {1660 -- +}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{ValentePhillimoreEtienne2015, author = {Valente, Luis M. and Phillimore, Albert B. and Etienne, Rampal S.}, title = {Equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics simultaneously operate in the Gal{\´a}pagos islands}, series = {Ecology letters}, volume = {18}, journal = {Ecology letters}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1461-0248}, doi = {10.1111/ele.12461}, pages = {844 -- 852}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Island biotas emerge from the interplay between colonisation, speciation and extinction and are often the scene of spectacular adaptive radiations. A common assumption is that insular diversity is at a dynamic equilibrium, but for remote islands, such as Hawaii or Gal{\´a}pagos, this idea remains untested. Here, we reconstruct the temporal accumulation of terrestrial bird species of the Gal{\´a}pagos using a novel phylogenetic method that estimates rates of biota assembly for an entire community. We show that species richness on the archipelago is in an ascending phase and does not tend towards equilibrium. The majority of the avifauna diversifies at a slow rate, without detectable ecological limits. However, Darwin's finches form an exception: they rapidly reach a carrying capacity and subsequently follow a coalescent-like diversification process. Together, these results suggest that avian diversity of remote islands is rising, and challenge the mutual exclusivity of the non-equilibrium and equilibrium ecological paradigms.}, language = {en} } @misc{ValentePhillimoreEtienne2015, author = {Valente, Luis M. and Phillimore, Albert B. and Etienne, Rampal S.}, title = {Equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics simultaneously operate in the Gal{\´a}pagos islands}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-93525}, pages = {9}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Island biotas emerge from the interplay between colonisation, speciation and extinction and are often the scene of spectacular adaptive radiations. A common assumption is that insular diversity is at a dynamic equilibrium, but for remote islands, such as Hawaii or Gal{\´a}pagos, this idea remains untested. Here, we reconstruct the temporal accumulation of terrestrial bird species of the Gal{\´a}pagos using a novel phylogenetic method that estimates rates of biota assembly for an entire community. We show that species richness on the archipelago is in an ascending phase and does not tend towards equilibrium. The majority of the avifauna diversifies at a slow rate, without detectable ecological limits. However, Darwin's finches form an exception: they rapidly reach a carrying capacity and subsequently follow a coalescent-like diversification process. Together, these results suggest that avian diversity of remote islands is rising, and challenge the mutual exclusivity of the non-equilibrium and equilibrium ecological paradigms.}, language = {en} } @article{ValenteEtienneDavalos2017, author = {Valente, Luis and Etienne, Rampal S. and Davalos, Liliana M.}, title = {Recent extinctions disturb path to equilibrium diversity in Caribbean bats}, series = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution}, volume = {1}, journal = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2397-334X}, doi = {10.1038/s41559-016-0026}, pages = {7}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Islands are ideal systems to model temporal changes in biodiversity and reveal the influence of humans on natural communities. Although theory predicts biodiversity on islands tends towards an equilibrium value, the recent extinction of large proportions of island biotas complicates testing this model. The well-preserved subfossil record of Caribbean bats-involving multiple insular radiations-provides a rare opportunity to model diversity dynamics in an insular community. Here, we reconstruct the diversity trajectory in noctilionoid bats of the Greater Antilles by applying a dynamic model of colonization, extinction and speciation to phylogenetic and palaeontological data including all known extinct and extant species. We show species richness asymptotes to an equilibrium value, a demonstration of natural equilibrium dynamics across an entire community. However, recent extinctions-many caused by humans-have wiped out nearly a third of island lineages, dragging diversity away from equilibrium. Using a metric to measure island biodiversity loss, we estimate it will take at least eight million years to regain pre-human diversity levels. Our integrative approach reveals how anthropogenic extinctions can drastically alter the natural trajectory of biological communities, resulting in evolutionary disequilibrium.}, language = {en} } @misc{CabralValenteHartig2017, author = {Cabral, Juliano Sarmento and Valente, Luis and Hartig, Florian}, title = {Mechanistic simulation models in macroecology and biogeography}, series = {Ecography : pattern and diversity in ecology}, volume = {40}, journal = {Ecography : pattern and diversity in ecology}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0906-7590}, doi = {10.1111/ecog.02480}, pages = {267 -- 280}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Macroecology and biogeography are concerned with understanding biodiversity patterns across space and time. In the past, the two disciplines have addressed this question mainly with correlative approaches, despite frequent calls for more mechanistic explanations. Recent advances in computational power, theoretical understanding, and statistical tools are, however, currently facilitating the development of more system-oriented, mechanistic models. We review these models, identify different model types and theoretical frameworks, compare their processes and properties, and summarize emergent findings. We show that ecological (physiology, demographics, dispersal, biotic interactions) and evolutionary processes, as well as environmental and human-induced drivers, are increasingly modelled mechanistically; and that new insights into biodiversity dynamics emerge from these models. Yet, substantial challenges still lie ahead for this young research field. Among these, we identify scaling, calibration, validation, and balancing complexity as pressing issues. Moreover, particular process combinations are still understudied, and so far models tend to be developed for specific applications. Future work should aim at developing more flexible and modular models that not only allow different ecological theories to be expressed and contrasted, but which are also built for tight integration with all macroecological data sources. Moving the field towards such a 'systems macroecology' will test and improve our understanding of the causal pathways through which eco-evolutionary processes create diversity patterns across spatial and temporal scales.}, language = {en} } @article{CornettiValenteDunningetal.2015, author = {Cornetti, Luca and Valente, Luis M. and Dunning, Luke T. and Quan, Xueping and Black, Richard A. and Hebert, Olivier and Savolainen, Vincent}, title = {The Genome of the "Great Speciator" Provides Insights into Bird Diversification}, series = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {7}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, number = {9}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1759-6653}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evv168}, pages = {2680 -- 2691}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Among birds, white-eyes (genusZosterops) have diversified so extensively that Jared Diamond and Ernst Mayr referred to them as the 'great speciator." The Zosterops lineage exhibits some of the fastest rates of species diversification among vertebrates, and its members are the most prolific passerine island colonizers. We present a high-quality genome assembly for the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a white-eye species consisting of several subspecies distributed across multiple islands. We investigate the genetic basis of rapid diversification in white-eyes by conducting genomic analyses at varying taxonomic levels. First, we compare the silvereye genome with those of birds from different families and searched for genomic features that may be unique to Zosterops. Second, we compare the genomes of different species of white-eyes from Lifou island (South Pacific), using whole genome resequencing and restriction site associated DNA. Third, we contrast the genomes of two subspecies of silvereye that differ in plumage color. In accordance with theory, we show that white-eyes have high rates of substitutions, gene duplication, and positive selection relative to other birds. Below genus level, we find that genomic differentiation accumulates rapidly and reveals contrasting demographic histories between sympatric species on Lifou, indicative of past interspecific interactions. Finally, we highlight genes possibly involved in color polymorphism between the subspecies of silvereye. By providing the first whole-genome sequence resources for white-eyes and by conducting analyses at different taxonomic levels, we provide genomic evidence underpinning this extraordinary bird radiation.}, language = {en} } @article{ValenteEtiennePhillimore2014, author = {Valente, Luis M. and Etienne, Rampal S. and Phillimore, Albert B.}, title = {The effects of island ontogeny on species diversity and phylogeny}, series = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of London : B, Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of London : B, Biological sciences}, number = {1784}, publisher = {Royal Society}, address = {London}, issn = {0962-8452}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2013.3227}, pages = {9}, year = {2014}, abstract = {A major goal of island biogeography is to understand how island communities are assembled over time. However, we know little about the influence of variable area and ecological opportunity on island biotas over geological time-scales. Islands have limited life spans, and it has been posited that insular diversity patterns should rise and fall with an island's ontogeny. The potential of phylogenies to inform us of island ontogenetic stage remains unclear, as we lack a phylogenetic framework that focuses on islands rather than clades. Here, we present a parsimonious island-centric model that integrates phylogeny and ontogeny into island biogeography and can incorporate a negative feedback of diversity on species origination. This framework allows us to generate predictions about species richness and phylogenies on islands of different ages. We find that peak richness lags behind peak island area, and that endemic species age increases with island age on volcanic islands. When diversity negatively affects rates of immigration and cladogenesis, our model predicts speciation slowdowns on old islands. Importantly, we find that branching times of in situ radiations can be informative of an island's ontogenetic stage. This novel framework provides a quantitative means of uncovering processes responsible for island biogeography patterns using phylogenies.}, language = {en} } @misc{WarrenSimberloffRicklefsetal.2015, author = {Warren, Ben H. and Simberloff, Daniel and Ricklefs, Robert E. and Aguilee, Robin and Condamine, Fabien L. and Gravel, Dominique and Morlon, Helene and Mouquet, Nicolas and Rosindell, James and Casquet, Juliane and Conti, Elena and Cornuault, Josselin and Maria Fernandez-Palacios, Jose and Hengl, Tomislav and Norder, Sietze J. and Rijsdijk, Kenneth F. and Sanmartin, Isabel and Strasberg, Dominique and Triantis, Kostas A. and Valente, Luis M. and Whittaker, Robert J. and Gillespie, Rosemary G. and Emerson, Brent C. and Thebaud, Christophe}, title = {Islands as model systems in ecology and evolution: prospects fifty years after MacArthur-Wilson}, series = {Ecology letters}, volume = {18}, journal = {Ecology letters}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1461-023X}, doi = {10.1111/ele.12398}, pages = {200 -- 217}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The study of islands as model systems has played an important role in the development of evolutionary and ecological theory. The 50th anniversary of MacArthur and Wilson's (December 1963) article, An equilibrium theory of insular zoogeography', was a recent milestone for this theme. Since 1963, island systems have provided new insights into the formation of ecological communities. Here, building on such developments, we highlight prospects for research on islands to improve our understanding of the ecology and evolution of communities in general. Throughout, we emphasise how attributes of islands combine to provide unusual research opportunities, the implications of which stretch far beyond islands. Molecular tools and increasing data acquisition now permit re-assessment of some fundamental issues that interested MacArthur and Wilson. These include the formation of ecological networks, species abundance distributions, and the contribution of evolution to community assembly. We also extend our prospects to other fields of ecology and evolution - understanding ecosystem functioning, speciation and diversification - frequently employing assets of oceanic islands in inferring the geographic area within which evolution has occurred, and potential barriers to gene flow. Although island-based theory is continually being enriched, incorporating non-equilibrium dynamics is identified as a major challenge for the future.}, language = {en} } @misc{BorregaardAmorimBorgesetal.2017, author = {Borregaard, Michael K. and Amorim, Isabel R. and Borges, Paulo A. V. and Cabral, Juliano Sarmento and Fernandez-Palacios, Jose M. and Field, Richard and Heaney, Lawrence R. and Kreft, Holger and Matthews, Thomas J. and Olesen, Jens M. and Price, Jonathan and Rigal, Francois and Steinbauer, Manuel J. and Triantis, Konstantinos A. and Valente, Luis and Weigelt, Patrick and Whittaker, Robert J.}, title = {Oceanic island biogeography through the lens of the general dynamic model: assessment and prospect}, series = {Biological reviews}, volume = {92}, journal = {Biological reviews}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1464-7931}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12256}, pages = {830 -- 853}, year = {2017}, language = {en} }