Biodiversity composition results from both evolutionary origins and contemporary processes. Ecological and evolutionary interactions, as the core driving force, not only build the adaptive relationship between organisms and environment, but also fundamentally shape the representation characteristics of macroecological patterns. An understanding of mechanisms that influence biogeographical patterns can play a pivotal role in deciphering the intricate dynamics underlying species distributions and, ultimately, biodiversity patterns. 

The formation mechanism of spatio-temporal biodiversity pattern needs to integrate the dual perspectives of contemporary process and historical evolution. However, how this combination jointly shapes biodiversity patterns and operates through mechanistic links to real-world evidence generally has been overlooked. 

Recently, a research group led by Prof. CAI Qinghua from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a modeling framework, through the linkage of biodiversity modeling and empirical evidence, to explain how contemporary ecological processes and historical evolutionary dynamics jointly influence biodiversity patterns. This study was published in Ecology. 

In this study, the researchers hypothesize that contemporary processes and evolutionary history each have influences on species distributions, but that the relative influences may differ between them. 

By integrating multidimensional research methods and mechanism-oriented modeling systems, a modeling framework was proposed that distinguishes the interaction between contemporary processes and evolutionary history in shaping the empirical effects on biodiversity. 

To illustrate this framework, the researchers modeled the terrestrial algal communities (i.e., aerial phyllosphere species of the class Trebouxiophyceae) throughout their distributional range in China using metabarcoding data. 

Using this model, the researchers quantitatively analyzed the roles of contemporary and phylogenetic processes in influencing species adaptability and their persistence across landscapes. 

Results demonstrate that the evolutionary history of these terrestrial algae can exert a dominant influence over contemporary filtering of environmental processes in shaping species diversity and community structure. 

These results underscore the significance of integrating evolutionary origins into biodiversity modeling to more accurately understand current biodiversity patterns and, therefore, facilitate more effective biodiversity management and ecosystem conservation efforts. 

This cross-temporal research paradigm breaks through the limitations of traditional single time dimension analysis, and provides an innovative theoretical perspective and methodological tools for an in-depth understanding of multi-scale driving mechanisms of biodiversity formation.

(Editor: MA Yun)