From Newsgroup: talk.origins


https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62310-y

Abstract
Lemurs are often cited as an example of
adaptive radiation, as more than 100 extant
species have evolved and filled ecological
niches on Madagascar. However, recent work
suggests that lemurs lack a hallmark of
other adaptive radiations: explosive
speciation rates that decline over time.
Thus, characterizing the tempo and mode of
evolution in lemurs can reveal alternative
ways that hyperdiverse clades arise over
time, which might differ from traditional
models. We explore lemur evolution using a
phylogenomic dataset with broad taxonomic
sampling that includes the lorisiforms of
Asia and continental Africa. Our analyses
reveal multiple bursts of diversification
(without subsequent declines) that explain
much of todayrCOs lemur diversity. We also
find higher rates of speciation in
MadagascarrCOs lemurs compared to
lorisiforms, and we demonstrate that the
lemur clades with high diversification
rates also have high rates of genomic
introgression. This suggests that
hybridization in these primates is not an
evolutionary dead-end, but potential fuel
for diversification. Considering the
conservation crisis affecting
strepsirrhine primates, with approximately
95% of species threatened with extinction,
this study offers a perspective for
explaining MadagascarrCOs primate diversity
and reveals patterns of speciation,
extinction, and gene flow that will help
inform future conservation decisions.

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