Data from: Extinction vs. rapid radiation: the juxtaposed evolutionary histories of coelotine spiders support the Eocene–Oligocene orogenesis of the Tibetan Plateau

Evolutionary biology has long been concerned with how changing environments affect and drive the spatiotemporal development of organisms. Coelotine spiders (Agelenidae: Coelotinae) are common species in the temperate and subtropical areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Their long evolutionary history and the extremely imbalanced distribution of species richness suggest that Eurasian environments, especially since the Cenozoic, are the drivers of their diversification. We use phylogenetics, molecular dating, ancestral area reconstructions, diversity and ecological niche analyses to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of 286 coelotine species from throughout the region. Based on eight genes (6.5 kb) and 2323 de novo DNA sequences, analyses suggest an Eocene South China origin for them. Most extant, widespread species belong to the southern (SCG) or northern (NCG) clades. The origin of coelotine spiders appears to associate with either the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum or the hot period in early Eocene. Tibetan uplifting events influenced the current diversity patterns of coelotines. The origin of SCG lies outside of the Tibetan Plateau. Uplifting in the southeastern area of the plateau blocked dispersal since the Late Eocene. Continuous orogenesis appears to have created localized vicariant events, which drove rapid radiation in SCG. North-central Tibet is the likely location of origin for NCG and many lineages likely experienced extinction owing to uplifting since early Oligocene. Their evolutionary histories correspond with recent geological evidence that high-elevation orographical features existed in the Tibetan region as early as 40 to 35 Ma. Our discoveries may be the first empirical evidence that links the evolution of organisms to the Eocene–Oligocene uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau.

进化生物学长期以来始终聚焦于探究环境变化如何影响并驱动生物的时空演化进程。隙蛛（Agelenidae: Coelotinae）是北半球温带与亚热带区域的常见类群。该类群拥有悠久的演化历史，且物种丰富度分布极度不均，这表明欧亚大陆的环境变化（尤其是新生代以来）是其物种分化的核心驱动因素。本研究借助系统发育学、分子定年、祖先区域重建、物种多样性与生态位分析等方法，对欧亚大陆范围内分布的286种隙蛛的时空演化模式展开系统性探究。基于8个基因（总长6.5 kb）与2323条全新DNA序列（de novo）的分析结果显示，隙蛛的起源地为始新世时期的中国南方区域。多数现存广布物种隶属于南方支系（SCG）与北方支系（NCG）。隙蛛的起源时间或与古新世-始新世极热事件，或是始新世早期的温暖气候期相关。青藏高原隆升事件对隙蛛现今的多样性分布格局产生了深远影响。南方支系（SCG）的起源地位于青藏高原之外。始新世晚期以来，青藏高原东南部的隆升阻断了类群的扩散路径；持续的造山运动引发了局域性的隔离分化事件，进而推动了南方支系的快速辐射演化。北方支系（NCG）的起源地大概率位于藏北中部区域；而自渐新世早期以来的高原隆升事件，导致诸多类群发生了灭绝。隙蛛的演化历史与近期地质学证据高度吻合——即青藏高原区域早在40至35 Ma（百万年前）就已存在高海拔地貌。本研究的发现或为首个将生物演化与青藏高原始新世-渐新世隆升事件相关联的实证依据。