Congruent phylogenetic and fossil signatures of mammalian diversification dynamics driven by tertiary abiotic change

Computational methods for estimating diversification rates from extant species phylogenetic trees have become abundant in evolutionary research. However, little evidence exists about how their outcome compares to a complementary and direct source of information: the fossil record. Furthermore, there is virtually no direct test for the congruence of evolutionary rates based on these two sources. This task is only achievable in clades with both a well-known fossil record and a complete phylogenetic tree. Here, we compare the evolutionary rates of ruminant mammals as estimated from their vast paleontological record —over 1200 species spanning 50 myr— and their living-species phylogeny. Significantly, our results revealed that the ruminant's fossil record and phylogeny reflect congruent evolutionary processes. The concordance is especially strong for the last 25 myr, when living groups became a dominant part of ruminant diversity. We found empirical support for previous hypotheses based on ...从现生物种（extant species）系统发育树（phylogenetic tree）估算物种多样化速率的计算方法，在进化生物学研究领域已大量涌现。然而，目前鲜有研究探讨此类方法的估算结果与另一互补且直接的信息来源——化石记录——之间的可比性。此外，针对基于这两类信息源的进化速率一致性的直接检验，目前几乎尚未开展。此类研究仅能在同时拥有完整化石记录与完备系统发育树的演化支（clade）中开展。本研究以反刍类哺乳动物为研究对象，分别基于其涵盖超1200个物种、跨度达50百万年的丰富古生物记录，以及现生物种系统发育树，对二者估算的进化速率进行对比分析。值得注意的是，本研究结果表明，反刍类的化石记录与系统发育树所反映的进化过程具有高度一致性。在最近的25百万年期间，二者的一致性尤为显著——这一时期现生类群已成为反刍类多样性的主导组成部分。本研究为此前基于……提出的相关假说提供了实证支持。