On the role of biogeography in the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Charles MD Santos, Daubian Santos, Juan J. Morrone

In the first half of the 20th century, the Modern Synthesis (MS) integrated Mendelian genetics, paleontology, systematics, natural history, common descent, and natural selection. Although the MS has been the guiding paradigm of evolutionary studies since 1950, by the beginning of the 21st century, a new synthesis incorporated themes such as evo-devo, phenotypic plasticity, and epigenetic inheritance. This research program, known as the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES), emphasizes processes and mechanisms rather than pattern analysis, and the relevance of the spatial or geographic component for the origin and diversification of organisms is virtually absent. As Croizat argued in 1964, evolution means change over time and space. Thus, an EES encompassing an integrated view of the historical process of evolution should include biogeography. Here, we explore the role of biogeography in the EES. Our proposal is based on an integrative, pluralistic approach to biogeography that combines theories, models, methods, and data-collection techniques to best explain the complex phenomenon of life evolving in space and time. In this context, given biogeographical reciprocal illumination, we reinforce the importance of biogeographical consilience as an evaluation criterion for biogeographic hypotheses.