Phylogenomics of sigmodontine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae): Cloud forests and Pliocene extinction explain the timing and spread of an iconic South American radiation.

ABSTRACT: Studies of biotic radiations following geographic invasions often overlook the potential role of subsequent climatic, biotic, and geologic triggers, instead focusing largely on the earliest stage of an invasion. For example, studies of the rodent subfamily Sigmodontinae, a clade of over 500 species that radiated throughout South America as an early participant in the Great American Biotic Interchange, have historically focused more on invasion than post-invasion opportunities or subsequent environmental change. Here, we place the timing and transitions of this radiation in context of changing climatic, biotic, and geologic factors by reconstructing the biogeography of the radiation. To accomplish this, we generated the largest genomic phylogeny of Sigmodontinae to date, one that includes o

SUBMITTER: Bangs MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12585052 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature