Biodiversity: Multiple origins of mountain life.

Abstract

A study of DNA sequences from more than 1,800 organisms on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo reveals the evolutionary mechanisms that led to the mountain's high and unique biodiversity. See Letter p.347 Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, is the tallest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea, and like other tropical mountains it is a biodiversity hotspot, containing many endemic species isolated by altitude. These authors investigate the evolutionary origins of such biodiversity by sampling the entire biota from Mount Kinabalu, including frogs, insects, arachnids, snails, leeches, mosses, flowering plants, ferns, and fungi. DNA barcoding reveals that most of the species are younger than the 6-million-year-old mountain, and are either relatives of lowland species that have shifted their niche upwards or long-distance immigrants from other high-altitude areas. Understanding the origins of montane biodiversity will help understand its response to environmental change.