The rise of the Andes promoted rapid diversification in Neotropical Phlegmariurus (Lycopodiaceae)

Tropical mountains are disproportionately biodiverse relative to their surface area, but the processes underlying their exceptional diversity require further study. Here, we use comparative phylogenetic methods to examine the impact of the Andean orogeny on the diversification of Neotropical Phlegmariurus, a species-rich lycophyte clade. We generated a time-calibrated phylogeny of 105 species of Neotropical Phlegmariurus and estimated lineage diversification rates. We tested for correlations between lineage diversification rates and species range size, niche breadth, elevational range amplitude, and mean elevation of occurrence. A recently developed macroevolutionary model was used to incorporate geological data and test for an association between diversification rates and the Andean uplift. Diversification rates of Neotropical Phlegmariurus are negatively correlated with species range size and positively correlated with mean elevation of species occurrence. The rise of the Andes is strongly associated with increased rates of diversification in Neotropical Phlegmariurus during the last 10 Myr. Our study demonstrates the importance of mountain-building events and geographical isolation of alpine populations as drivers of rapid diversification, even in spore-dispersed plants. This work also highlights the usefulness of combined phylogenetic, geological and ecological datasets, and the promise of comparative environment-dependent diversification models in better understanding the evolutionary origins of biodiversity.