biostudies-literatureGarcia-Porta JDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft4077https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6733905biostudies-literatureUnknown10(1)Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid species based on a supermatrix relying on novel phylogenomic datasets and fossil calibrations. Diversification of lacertids was accompanied by an increasing disparity among occupied bioclimatic niches, especially in the last 10 Ma, during a period of progressive global cooling. Temperate species also underwent a genome-wide slowdown in molecular substitution rates compared to tropical and desert-adapted lacertids. Evaporative water loss and preferred temperature are correlated with bioclimatic parameters, indicating physiological adaptations to climate. Tropical, but also somNature communicationsEnvironmental temperatures shape thermal physiology as well as diversification and genome-wide substitution rates in lizards.PMC6733905VE 247/11-1Salvi DZagar ARodriguez NMoriarty Lemmon EWollenberg Valero KCJovanovic Glavas OCarranza SAhmadzadeh FKarıs MLyra MDe la Riva IFawzi AMiles DVences MRodriguez AGalan POguz MASinervo BKirchner MJimenez-Robles OJoger UTurner APLemmon AGocmen BMacLeod ARancilhac LCrnobrnja-Isailovic JHarris DJNogales MAlbaladejo GCarretero MAGarcia-Porta JIrisarri IBrown JLPafilis PKirchhof SKoziel GSlimani TQashqaei ATRodriguez Concepcion BSanchez EPhilippe HS'khifa AKunzel SMuller JfalseEnvironmental temperatures shape thermal physiology as well as diversification and genome-wide substitution rates in lizards.Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid species based on a supermatrix relying on novel phylogenomic datasets and fossil calibrations. Diversification of lacertids was accompanied by an increasing disparity among occupied bioclimatic niches, especially in the last 10 Ma, during a period of progressive global cooling. Temperate species also underwent a genome-wide slowdown in molecular substitution rates compared to tropical and desert-adapted lacertids. Evaporative water loss and preferred temperature are correlated with bioclimatic parameters, indicating physiological adaptations to climate. Tropical, but also som2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Sep2026-05-07T17:22:37.112Z2026-04-07T23:05:29.489ZS-EPMC67339053150143210.1038/s41467-019-11943-x