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Science 19 May 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5776, pp. 1063 - 1065
DOI: 10.1126/science.1122806
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Reports

Biogeographic Evolution of Madagascar's Microendemic Biota

Lucienne Wilmé,1 Steven M. Goodman,2,3* Jörg U. Ganzhorn4

The endemic species richness on Madagascar, relative to landmass area, is unparalleled in the world. Many organisms on the island have restricted geographical ranges. A comprehensive hypothesis explaining the evolution of this microendemism has yet to be developed. Using an analysis of watersheds in the context of Quaternary climatic shifts, we provide a new mechanistic model to explain the process of explosive speciation on the island. River catchments with sources at relatively low elevations were zones of isolation and hence led to the speciation of locally endemic taxa, whereas those at higher elevations were zones of retreat and dispersion and hence contain proportionately lower levels of microendemism. These results provide a framework for biogeographic and phylogeographic studies, as well as a basis for prioritizing conservation actions of the remaining natural forest habitats on the island.

1 Missouri Botanical Garden, Boîte Postale 3391, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar.
2 Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
3 WWF, Boîte Postale 738, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar.
4 Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sgoodman{at}fieldmuseum.org

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Accelerated Species Inventory on Madagascar Using Coalescent-Based Models of Species Delineation.
M. T. Monaghan, R. Wild, M. Elliot, T. Fujisawa, M. Balke, D. J.G. Inward, D. C. Lees, R. Ranaivosolo, P. Eggleton, T. G. Barraclough, et al. (2009)
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From the Cover: Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory.
D. R. Vieites, K. C. Wollenberg, F. Andreone, J. Kohler, F. Glaw, and M. Vences (2009)
PNAS 106, 8267-8272
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Climate change adaptation for conservation in Madagascar.
L. Hannah, R. Dave, P. P Lowry II, S. Andelman, M. Andrianarisata, L. Andriamaro, A. Cameron, R. Hijmans, C. Kremen, J. MacKinnon, et al. (2008)
Biol Lett 4, 590-594
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Development and application of a phylogenomic toolkit: Resolving the evolutionary history of Madagascar's lemurs.
J. E. Horvath, D. W. Weisrock, S. L. Embry, I. Fiorentino, J. P. Balhoff, P. Kappeler, G. A. Wray, H. F. Willard, and A. D. Yoder (2008)
Genome Res. 18, 489-499
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Applications of Ecological Niche Modeling for Species Delimitation: A Review and Empirical Evaluation Using Day Geckos (Phelsuma) from Madagascar.
C. J. Raxworthy, C. M. Ingram, N. Rabibisoa, and R. G. Pearson (2007)
Syst Biol 56, 907-923
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Deforestation and apparent extinctions of endemic forest beetles in Madagascar.
I. Hanski, H. Koivulehto, A. Cameron, and P. Rahagalala (2007)
Biol Lett 3, 344-347
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)