Spatial phylogenomics of acrobat ants in Madagascar—mountains function as cradles for recent diversity and endemism

Aim: A crucial step to protecting biodiversity is assessing species diversity and endemism. We delineate spatial patterns of diversity in Malagasy ants on a phylogenetic and taxonomic level to identify centers of diversity and endemism, and evaluate the ‘museum vs cradle’ hypothesis with regard to ant endemism.

Location: Madagascar

Taxon: Ants, genus Crematogaster.

Methods: We estimated distribution models for 33 Crematogaster species and generated a phylogeny based on ultraconserved elements. We calculated species richness (SR), phylogenetic diversity (PD), weighted (WE), phylogenetic endemism(PE), randomized phylogenetic diversity (PD-sig), and relative phylogenetic diversity (RPD) and endemism (RPE). Categorical analyses of neo- and paleo-endemism (CANAPE) and the phylo-jaccard index were used to delineate centers of neo- and paleo-endemism. We correlated these measures with elevation metrics to investigate the role of mountains in generating ant endemism.

Results: We fou...