Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity

Eyal Marder; Tara M. Smiley; Brian J. Yanites; Katherine Kravitz

doi:10.1126/science.adp7290

Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity

Eyal Marder, Tara M. Smiley, Brian J. Yanites, Katherine Kravitz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Biodiversity hotspots in Earth's mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain ranges is an evolutionary response to the rate of relief generation during mountain building. Focusing on small mammals, such as rodents, we used coupled landscape-biological simulations to show that biodiversity increases with the magnitude and rate of tectonic uplift. This relationship, visible in depositional lowlands over millions of years, underscores the considerable role of mountain building in shaping past and present terrestrial biodiversity. Our results provide insights into the influence of topographic changes on evolutionary processes, offering a potential link between mountain formation and paleodiversity records.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1287-1291
Number of pages	5
Journal	Science
Volume	387
Issue number	6740
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp7290
State	Published - 21 Mar 2025
Externally published	Yes

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title = "Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity",

abstract = "Biodiversity hotspots in Earth's mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain ranges is an evolutionary response to the rate of relief generation during mountain building. Focusing on small mammals, such as rodents, we used coupled landscape-biological simulations to show that biodiversity increases with the magnitude and rate of tectonic uplift. This relationship, visible in depositional lowlands over millions of years, underscores the considerable role of mountain building in shaping past and present terrestrial biodiversity. Our results provide insights into the influence of topographic changes on evolutionary processes, offering a potential link between mountain formation and paleodiversity records.",

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AU - Marder, Eyal

AU - Smiley, Tara M.

AU - Yanites, Brian J.

AU - Kravitz, Katherine

PY - 2025/3/21

Y1 - 2025/3/21

N2 - Biodiversity hotspots in Earth's mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain ranges is an evolutionary response to the rate of relief generation during mountain building. Focusing on small mammals, such as rodents, we used coupled landscape-biological simulations to show that biodiversity increases with the magnitude and rate of tectonic uplift. This relationship, visible in depositional lowlands over millions of years, underscores the considerable role of mountain building in shaping past and present terrestrial biodiversity. Our results provide insights into the influence of topographic changes on evolutionary processes, offering a potential link between mountain formation and paleodiversity records.

AB - Biodiversity hotspots in Earth's mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain ranges is an evolutionary response to the rate of relief generation during mountain building. Focusing on small mammals, such as rodents, we used coupled landscape-biological simulations to show that biodiversity increases with the magnitude and rate of tectonic uplift. This relationship, visible in depositional lowlands over millions of years, underscores the considerable role of mountain building in shaping past and present terrestrial biodiversity. Our results provide insights into the influence of topographic changes on evolutionary processes, offering a potential link between mountain formation and paleodiversity records.

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VL - 387

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JO - Science

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ER -

Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity

Abstract

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