Nature Communications (May 2018)

Macroecology and macroevolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient in ants

  • Evan P. Economo,
  • Nitish Narula,
  • Nicholas R. Friedman,
  • Michael D. Weiser,
  • Benoit Guénard

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04218-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

Read online

Multiple hypotheses have been proposed for the declining biodiversity gradient between the tropics and poles. Here, the authors compile and analyze geographic data for all ant species and large-scale phylogenies, suggesting that diversification time drives the latitudinal diversity gradient in ants.