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环境变化如何影响并驱动生物的时空演化进程。隶属于漏斗蛛科（Agelenidae）的隙蛛亚科（Coelotinae）蜘蛛是北半球温带与亚热带区域的常见类群。该类群拥有漫长的演化历史，且物种丰富度分布极不均衡，这表明欧亚大陆的环境变迁——尤其是新生代以来——是其物种分化的核心驱动因素。本研究采用系统发育学、分子定年、祖先区域重建、物种多样性分析与生态位分析等方法，对欧亚分布范围内的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（de novo）DNA序列的分析结果显示，隙蛛类群起源于始新世时期的中国南方地区。多数现存广布种隶属于南部支系（SCG）与北部支系（NCG）。隙蛛类群的起源时间或与古新世-始新世极热事件（Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum），抑或是早始新世的温暖气候期存在关联。青藏高原隆升事件深刻影响了隙蛛类群现今的多样性分布格局。南部支系（SCG）的起源地位于青藏高原以外区域；自晚始新世起，青藏高原东南部的隆升阻断了类群的扩散通道。持续的造山运动引发了局部分化隔离事件，推动南部支系（SCG）发生快速辐射演化。北部支系（NCG）的起源地大概率位于藏北中部；自渐新世早期以来的高原隆升事件导致诸多类群遭遇灭绝。隙蛛类群的演化历史与最新地质证据高度吻合——早在4000万至3500万年前，青藏高原区域就已形成高海拔地貌。本研究的发现或为首个将生物演化与青藏高原始新世-渐新世隆升事件直接关联的实证依据。