DISC SIGNED

Project "DISC" data sheet

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 Project objective

The dynamics of global diversity remain controversial. It has been suggested that the dynamics are expansionary, such that the number of species across regions and continents increases constantly over time. However, some have argued the opposite, namely that species numbers stay largely unchanged most of the time, and the dynamics are therefore equilibrial. This classic controversy has attracted much attention recently because of the new evidence generated by the explosion of molecular data, remote sensing, computing power, and complex statistics. I will use these state-of-the-art resources to formalize and empirically evaluate the theory of scale-dependent diversification. The theory may resolve the controversy, proposing that diversity dynamics and the factors that govern these dynamics vary systematically across spatial, temporal, and phylogenetic scales. To empirically test the theory, I will combine molecular, geographic, climatic, and trait data for birds and mammals, using cutting-edge statistics implemented at supercomputers. The results of the proposed project will not only address the controversy, but also enrich our understanding of global diversity dynamics in general. They will produce numerous implications for evolutionary theory and for the conservation and management of biodiversity.