Effect of Past Environmental Changes on Species and Traits Diversification – CHANGE

CHANGE aims to improve our understanding of how past environmental changes have influenced the tempo of species and phenotypic diversification. Phylogenetic models currently used to test the association between environmental factors and macroevolutionary rates have major limitations, such as testing the effect of one environmental variable at a time, not accounting for variations in rates linked to unobserved variables, and not accounting for species-specific responses to environmental changes. We will address these limitations by using innovative modelling and statistical techniques. Next, we will use large datasets, including a unique high-quality 3D scan database of more than 2200 tetrapods, to conduct the most ambitious analysis to date of the effect of past environmental changes on species and phenotypic diversification. Our results will move the field from a qualitative to a quantitative assessment of the effects of past environmental changes on the evolution of biodiversity.