Data from: Fossils and a large molecular phylogeny show that the evolution of species richness, generic diversity and turnover rates are disconnected

The magnitude and extent of global change during the Cenozoic are remarkable, yet the impacts of these changes on biodiversity and the evolutionary dynamics of species diversification remain poorly understood. To investigate this question we combine palaeontological and neontological data for the angiosperm order Fagales, an ecologically important clade of c. 1370 species of trees with an exceptional fossil record. We show differences in patterns of accumulation of generic diversity, species richness, and turnover rates for Fagales. Generic diversity evolved rapidly from the Late Cretaceous and peaked in the Eocene or Oligocene. Turnover rates were high during periods of extreme global climate change, but relatively low when the climate remained stable. Species richness accumulated gradually throughout the Cenozoic, possibly at an accelerated pace after the Middle Miocene. Species diversification was into new environments: Quercoids radiating in Oligocene subtropical seasonally arid habitats, Casuarinaceae in Australian pyrophytic biomes, and Betula into late Neogene holarctic habitats. These radiations were counterbalanced by regional extinctions in late-Neogene mesic warm-temperate forests. Thus overall diversification at species level is linked to regional radiations of clades with appropriate ecologies exploiting newly available habitats.新生代（Cenozoic）时期全球变化的规模与程度均堪称显著，但此类变化对生物多样性及物种分化演化动态的影响仍鲜有系统性阐释。为探究这一科学问题，本研究整合了被子植物（angiosperm）壳斗目（Fagales）的古生物学与现生生物数据；该类群为生态重要的支系（clade），包含约1370个乔木物种，且拥有极为完整的化石记录。研究结果显示，壳斗目的属多样性、物种丰富度以及物种更替速率的积累模式存在显著差异：属多样性自晚白垩世（Late Cretaceous）起快速演化，并在始新世（Eocene）或渐新世（Oligocene）达到演化峰值；在极端全球气候变化时段，更替速率居高，而气候稳定时期则相对偏低。物种丰富度在整个新生代期间逐步积累，中中新世（Middle Miocene）之后可能呈现加速增长的态势。物种分化呈现出向新生境拓展的趋势：栎类支系（Quercoids）于渐新世在亚热带季节性干旱生境中发生适应性辐射演化，木麻黄科（Casuarinaceae）在澳大利亚火适应性生物群落中完成类群分化，桦木属（Betula）则迁入新近纪晚期的全北界生境。上述辐射演化事件被新近纪晚期湿润暖温带森林中的区域性灭绝事件所抵消。综上，物种层面的整体分化，与具备适配生态特征的支系在新出现的可利用生境中开展的区域性辐射演化紧密相关。