Regional assemblages shaped by historical and contemporary factors: evidence from a species-rich insect group

Understanding the complex diversity patterns is one of the main aims of
community ecology. It is important to take both historical and
contemporary factors into account in investigating the potential roles in
assembling diversity patterns. Here, We compared diversity patterns of two
moth assemblages sampled from Taihang and Yanshan mountains in Northern
China and performed ancestral range reconstructions using the
Multi-State-Speciation and Extinction model to track the origins of these
patterns. We subsequently estimate diversification rates of the two moth
assemblages. Finally, we explored the effects of contemporary ecological
factors on diversity patterns. From 7788 specimens we identified
to 835 species belonging to 23 families, using both DNA barcode analysis
and morphology. Overall, moths in YS mountains showed higher species
diversity and phylogenetic diversity than in TH mountains. Ancestral range
analysis indicated YS as the origin. Significant historical dispersals
from YS to TH mountains were detected. Asymmetrical diversification,
population expansion, along with frequent and considerable gene flow, were
detected between communities. Moreover, dispersal limitation or the joint
effect of environment filtering and dispersal limitation were
inferred as main driving forces shaping current diversity patterns. In
summary, we showed that a combined analysis of diversity patterns at
multiples scales, including community, population and species levels,
incorporating both historical and contemporary factors, are very
informative for understanding factors of shaping diversity patterns.