Abstract
The Tibeto-Himalayan Region hosts complex topographical and climatic
features and harbors exceptionally high levels of biodiversity and
endemism. The “mountain-geobiodiversity hypothesis (MGH)” explores the
interaction of topography, climate, and biology in the evolution of
mountain biodiversity. We tested this hypothesis in the Himalayas and
the Hengduan Mountains on a group of caddisflies that are endemic to
this region. We investigated one caddisfly species pair from each
mountain respectively, each pair containing one species occupying high
elevation and one inhabiting low elevation. We incorporated genomic and
ecological evidence to reveal population structure, demographic history,
and potential habitat ranges dating back to the last glacial maximum of
each species. The results indicated that in both mountains, the
high-elevation species showed strong local differentiation, while the
low-elevation species were shaped by hydro-morphology. Caddisfly species
in the Himalayas generally exhibited an East-West oriented dispersal,
while species from the Hengduan Mountains showed greater connectivity on
the North-South orientation due to a more extensive area in the
North-South orientation. Results of demographic history and species
distribution modeling demonstrated that a cold climate leads to an
increase in potential habitats, thus causing population expansion.
Moreover, most of the divergence and admixture events aligned with the
climatic cycles from the middle Pleistocene until the present,
suggesting a species-pump effect. Our study demonstrates that, in line
with the MGH, mountain topography and climate fluctuations interact and
influence the diversification of caddisflies differently in the
Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains.