Percorrer por autor "Romeiras, Maria M."
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- Global change in microcosms : environmental and societal predictors of land cover change on the Atlantic Ocean IslandsPublication . Norder, Sietze; Lima, Ricardo F.; Nascimento, Lea; Lim, Jun Y.; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Romeiras, Maria M.; Elias, Rui B.; Cabezas, Francisco J.; Catarino, Luís; Ceríaco, Luis M.P.; Castilla-Beltrán, Alvaro; Gabriel, Rosalina; Sequeira, Miguel M.; Rijsdijk, Kenneth F.; Nogué, Sandra; Kissling, W. Daniel; van Loon, E. Emiel; Hall, Marcus; Matos, Margarida; Borges, Paulo A. V.Islands contribute enormously to global biodiversity, but their species and ecosystems are highly threatened and often confined to small patches of remaining native vegetation. Islands are thus ideal microcosms to study the local dimensions of global change. While human activities have drastically transformed most islands, the extent to which societal and environmental conditions shape differences in land cover remains unclear. This study analyses the role of contrasting environmental and societal conditions in affecting the extent of native vegetation cover on 30 islands in five Atlantic Ocean archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Gulf of Guinea Islands). We adopt a mixed-method approach in which we combine a statistical analysis of environmental and societal variables with a qualitative reconstruction of historical socioeconomic trends. Statistical results indicate that terrain ruggedness predominantly shapes the extent of remaining native vegetation cover, suggesting that topography constrains human impacts on biodiversity. Overall, environmental variables better explain differences in native vegetation cover between islands than societal variables like human population density. However, throughout history, islands experienced large changes in demography and socioeconomic trends, and therefore modern patterns of native vegetation might also partly reflect these past conditions. While anthropocene narratives often present humans as a global geophysical force, the results show that local environmental context strongly mitigated the degree of human impact on biodiversity. These findings call for integrative approaches to understand the contributions of local human-environment interactions to ongoing global change.
- Habitat filtering and inferred dispersal ability condition across‐scale species turnover and rarity in Macaronesian island spider assemblagesPublication . Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Rigal, François; Girardello, Marco; Cardoso, Pedro; Crespo, Luís C.; Amorim, Isabel R.; Arnedo, Miquel A.; Boieiro, Mário; Carvalho, José Carlos; Carvalho, Rui; Gabriel, Rosalina; Lamelas-López, Lucas; López, Heriberto; Paulo, Octávio S.; Pereira, Fernando; Pérez‐Delgado, Antonio J.; Rego, Carla; Romeiras, Maria M.; Ros-Prieto, Alejandra; Oromí, Pedro; Vieira, Ana; Emerson, Brent C.; Borges, Paulo A. V.AIM: Habitat diversity has been linked to the diversity and structure of island communities, however, little is known about patterns and processes within habitats. Here we aim to determine the contributions of habitat type and inferred dispersal frequency to the differences in taxonomic structure between assemblages in the same island habitat. LOCATION: The Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde). TAXON: Spiders (Araneae). METHODS: We established forest and dry habitat sites (each with five plots) on two islands per archipelago. We collected spiders using standardised sampling protocols. We tested the differences in beta diversity separately for each habitat and for each inferred category of ballooning (an aerial dispersal strategy) frequency across geographic scales through nested non-parametric permutational multivariate analyses of variance. We then tested whether ballooning and habitat influenced heterogeneity in species composition (dispersion in beta diversity) in the two habitat types. We analysed the effects of habitat and ballooning on species abundance distribution (SAD) and rarity by fitting Gambin models and evaluating the contribution of ballooning categories to SAD. RESULTS: Communities of the same archipelago and habitat were taxonomically more similar, and beta diversity increased with geographic scale, being greater in dry habitats. There was greater species replacement among assemblages in dry habitats than in forests, with greater differences for rare ballooners. There were no differences in SAD between habitats although dry habitat sites seemed to harbour more species with low abundances (rare species) than forests. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Habitat type does not only condition the differences between spider assemblages of the same habitat but also the scale at which they occur. These differences may be determined by the heterogeneity in the physical structure of each habitat as well as how much this structure facilitates aerial dispersal (ballooning), and should be considered in theories/hypotheses on island community assembly as well as in conservation strategies.
- In defence of the entity of Macaronesia as a biogeographical regionPublication . Fernández‐Palacios, José María; Otto, Rüdiger; Capelo, Jorge; Caujapé‐Castells, Juli; De Nascimento, Lea; Duarte, Maria Cristina; Elias, Rui B.; García‐Verdugo, Carlos; Menezes de Sequeira, Miguel; Médail, Frédéric; Naranjo‐Cigala, Agustín; Patiño, Jairo; Price, Jonathan; Romeiras, Maria M.; Sánchez‐Pinto, Lázaro; Whittaker, RobertSince its coinage ca. 1850 AD by Philip Barker Webb, the biogeographical region of Macaronesia, consisting of the North Atlantic volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira with the tiny Selvagens, the Canaries and Cabo Verde, and for some authors different continental coastal strips, has been under dispute. Herein, after a brief introduction on the terminology and purpose of regionalism, we recover the origins of the Macaronesia name, concept and geographical adscription, as well as its biogeographical implications and how different authors have positioned themselves, using distinct terrestrial or marine floristic and/or faunistic taxa distributions and relationships for accepting or rejecting the existence of this biogeographical region. Four main issues related to Macaronesia are thoroughly discussed: (i) its independence from the Mediterranean phytogeographical region; (ii) discrepancies according to different taxa analysed; (iii) its geographical limits and the role of the continental enclave(s), and, (iv) the validity of the phytogeographical region level. We conclude that Macaronesia has its own identity and a sound phytogeographical foundation, and that this is mainly based on three different floristic components that are shared by the Macaronesian core (Madeira and the Canaries) and the outermost archipelagos (Azores and Cabo Verde). These floristic components are: (i) the Palaeotropical-Tethyan Geoflora, formerly much more widely distributed in Europe and North Africa and currently restricted to the three northern archipelagos (the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries); (ii) the African Rand Flora, still extant in the coastal margins of Africa and Arabia, and present in the southern archipelagos (Madeira, the Canaries and Cabo Verde), and (iii) the Macaronesian neoendemic floristic component, represented in all the archipelagos, a result of allopatric diversification promoted by isolation of Mediterranean ancestors that manage to colonize Central Macaronesia and, from there, the outer archipelagos. Finally, a differentiating floristic component recently colonized the different archipelagos from the nearest continental coast, providing them with different biogeographic flavours.
- Investigadores da UAc e do ISA publicam dois artigos sobre as implicações das alterações climáticas na distribuição e conservação das árvores endémicas e nativas de Cabo VerdePublication . Varela, Danilson; Romeiras, Maria M.; Silva, LuísOs investigadores Danilson Varela (Nova Business Shool, CIBIO), Maria Romeiras (ISA, LEAF) e Luís Silva (UAc, CIBIO) publicaram dois estudos técnico-científicos nas revistas internacionais “Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution” e “Global Ecology and Conservation”, acerca dos fatores climáticos que afetam a distribuição das árvores endémicas e nativas de Cabo Verde. […].
- Macaronesia as a Fruitful Arena for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyPublication . Florencio, Margarita; Patiño, Jairo; Nogué, Sandra; Traveset, Anna; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Schaefer, Hanno; Amorim, Isabel R.; Arnedo, Miquel A.; Ávila, Sérgio P.; Cardoso, Pedro; Nascimento, Lea; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Gabriel, Sofia I.; Gil, Artur José Freire; Gonçalves, Vitor; Haroun, Ricardo J.; Illera, Juan Carlos; López-Darias, Marta; Martínez, Alejandro; Martins, Gustavo M.; Neto, Ana I.; Nogales, Manuel; Oromí, Pedro; Rando, Juan Carlos; Raposeiro, Pedro M.; Rigal, François; Romeiras, Maria M.; Silva, Luís; Valido, Alfredo; Vanderpoorten, Alain; Vasconcelos, Raquel; Santos, Ana M. C.Research in Macaronesia has led to substantial advances in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. We review the scientific developments achieved in this region, and outline promising research avenues enhancing conservation. Some of these discoveries indicate that the Macaronesian flora and fauna are composed of rather young lineages, not Tertiary relicts, predominantly of European origin. Macaronesia also seems to be an important source region for back-colonisation of continental fringe regions on both sides of the Atlantic. This group of archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands, and Cabo Verde) has been crucial to learn about the particularities of macroecological patterns and interaction networks on islands, providing evidence for the development of the General Dynamic Model of oceanic island biogeography and subsequent updates. However, in addition to exceptionally high richness of endemic species, Macaronesia is also home to a growing number of threatened species, along with invasive alien plants and animals. Several innovative conservation and management actions are in place to protect its biodiversity from these and other drivers of global change. The Macaronesian Islands are a well-suited field of study for island ecology and evolution research, mostly due to its special geological layout with 40 islands grouped within five archipelagos differing in geological age, climate and isolation. A large amount of data is now available for several groups of organisms on and around many of these islands. However, continued efforts should be made toward compiling new information on their biodiversity, to pursue various fruitful research avenues and develop appropriate conservation management tools.
- Standardised inventories of spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of Macaronesia III: dry habitats of Cabo Verde Archipelago (São Vicente and Santo Antão)Publication . Crespo, Luís; Cardoso, Pedro; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Pereira, Fernando; Romeiras, Maria M.; Ros Prieto, Alejandra; Rigal, François; Borges, Paulo A. V.Background With this publication, we contribute to the knowledge of the arachnofauna of Cabo Verde, focusing specifically on the Islands of Santo Antão and São Vicente. Data were obtained from samples collected as part of the project "Macaronesian Islands as a testing ground to assess biodiversity drivers at multiple scales" (FCT - MACDIV, 2015-2018). This project aimed to identify the factors influencing community assembly in Macaronesian islands. For the Cabo Verde Islands, we focused on dry habitats with the additional aim to revise the aracnofauna of this poorly-known fauna. We applied the COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment) sampling protocol in ten 50 m x 50 m dry shrub plots, with five on each of the two islands, using pitfall traps, sweep-netting and active search. Additional ad-hoc samples were also collected and reported. New information Our sampling of spiders from Cabo Verde (Santo Antão and São Vicente) yielded a total of 3,368 specimens, of which 1300 (39%) were adults. T
- The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomicsPublication . Mc Cartney, Ann M.; Formenti, Giulio; Mouton, Alice; De Panis, Diego; Marins, Luísa S.; Leitão, Henrique G.; Diedericks, Genevieve; Kirangwa, Joseph; Morselli, Marco; Salces-Ortiz, Judit; Escudero, Nuria; Iannucci, Alessio; Natali, Chiara; Svardal, Hannes; Fernández, Rosa; De Pooter, Tim; Joris, Geert; Strazisar, Mojca; Wood, Jonathan M. D.; Herron, Katie E.; Seehausen, Ole; Watts, Phillip C.; Shaw, Felix; Davey, Robert P.; Minotto, Alice; Fernández, José M.; Böhne, Astrid; Alegria, Carla; Alioto, Tyler; Alves, Paulo C.; Amorim, Isabel R.; Aury, Jean-Marc; Backstrom, Niclas; Baldrian, Petr; Baltrunaite, Laima; Barta, Endre; BedHom, Bertrand; Belser, Caroline; Bergsten, Johannes; Bertrand, Laurie; Bilandija, Helena; Binzer-Panchal, Mahesh; Bista, Iliana; Blaxter, Mark; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Dias, Guilherme Borges; Bosse, Mirte; Brown, Tom; Bruggmann, Rémy; Buena-Atienza, Elena; Burgin, Josephine; Buzan, Elena; Cariani, Alessia; Casadei, Nicolas; Chiara, Matteo; Chozas, Sergio; Čiampor, Fedor; Crottini, Angelica; Cruaud, Corinne; Cruz, Fernando; Dalen, Love; De Biase, Alessio; del Campo, Javier; Delic, Teo; Dennis, Alice B.; Derks, Martijn F. L.; Diroma, Maria Angela; Djan, Mihajla; Duprat, Simone; Eleftheriadi, Klara; Feulner, Philine G. D.; Flot, Jean-François; Forni, Giobbe; Fosso, Bruno; Fournier, Pascal; Fournier-Chambrillon, Christine; Gabaldon, Toni; Garg, Shilpa; Gissi, Carmela; Giupponi, Luca; Gomez-Garrido, Jessica; González, Josefa; Grilo, Miguel L.; Grüning, Björn; Guerin, Thomas; Guiglielmoni, Nadege; Gut, Marta; Haesler, Marcel P.; Hahn, Christoph; Halpern, Balint; Harrison, Peter W.; Heintz, Julia; Hindrikson, Maris; Höglund, Jacob; Howe, Kerstin; Hughes, Graham M.; Istace, Benjamin; Cock, Mark J.; Janžekovič, Franc; Jonsson, Zophonias O.; Joye-Dind, Sagane; Koskimäki, Janne J.; Krystufek, Boris; Kubacka, Justyna; Kuhl, Heiner; Kusza, Szilvia; Labadie, Karine; Lähteenaro, Meri; Lantz, Henrik; Lavrinienko, Anton; Leclère, Lucas; Lopes, Ricardo Jorge; Madsen, Ole; Magdelenat, Ghislaine; Magoga, Giulia; Manousaki, Tereza; Mappes, Tapio; Marques, Joao Pedro; Redondo, Gemma I. Martinez; Maumus, Florian; McCarthy, Shane A.; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Melo-Ferreira, Jose; Mendes, Sofia L.; Montagna, Matteo; Moreno, Joao; Mosbech, Mai-Britt; Moura, Mónica; Musilova, Zuzana; Myers, Eugene; Nash, Will J.; Nater, Alexander; Nicholson, Pamela; Niell, Manuel; Nijland, Reindert; Noel, Benjamin; Noren, Karin; Oliveira, Pedro H.; Olsen, Remi-Andre; Ometto, Lino; Oomen, Rebekah A.; Ossowski, Stephan; Palinauskas, Vaidas; Palsson, Snaebjorn; Panibe, Jerome P.; Pauperio, Joana; Pavlek, Martina; Payen, Emilie; Pawlowska, Julia; Pellicer, Jaume; Pesole, Graziano; Pimenta, Joao; Pippel, Martin; Pirttilä, Anna Maria; Poulakakis, Nikos; Rajan, Jeena; M.C. Rego, Rúben; Resendes, Roberto; Resl, Philipp; Riesgo, Ana; Rodin-Morch, Patrik; Soares, Andre E. R.; Fernandes, Carlos Rodriguez; Romeiras, Maria M.; Roxo, Guilherme; Rüber, Lukas; Ruiz-Lopez, Maria Jose; Saarma, Urmas; da Silva, Luis P.; Sim-Sim, Manuela; Soler, Lucile; Sousa, Vitor C.; Santos, Carla Sousa; Spada, Alberto; Stefanovic, Milomir; Steger, Viktor; Stiller, Josefin; Stöck, Matthias; Struck, Torsten H.; Sudasinghe, Hiranya; Tapanainen, Riikka; Tellgren-Roth, Christian; Trindade, Helena; Tukalenko, Yevhen; Urso, Ilenia; Vacherie, Benoit; Van Belleghem, Steven M.; Van Oers, Kees; Vargas-Chavez, Carlos; Velickovic, Nevena; Vella, Noel; Vella, Adriana; Vernesi, Cristiano; Vicente, Sara; Villa, Sara; Pettersson, Olga Vinnere; Volckaert, Filip A. M.; Voros, Judit; Wincker, Patrick; Winkler, Sylke; Ciofi, Claudio; Waterhouse, Robert M.; Mazzoni, Camila J.A genomic database of all Earth’s eukaryotic species could contribute to many scientific discoveries; however, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. In 2018, scientists across the world united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), aiming to produce a database of high-quality reference genomes containing all ~1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) sought to implement a new decentralised, equitable and inclusive model for producing reference genomes. For this, ERGA launched a Pilot Project establishing the first distributed reference genome production infrastructure and testing it on 98 eukaryotic species from 33 European countries. Here we outline the infrastructure and explore its effectiveness for scaling high-quality reference genome production, whilst considering equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational, national genomic resource projects and the EBP.
- The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics.Publication . Mc Cartney, Ann M.; Formenti, Giulio; Mouton, Alice; De Panis, Diego; Marins, Luísa S; Leitão, Henrique; Diedericks, Genevieve; KIRANGWA, JOSEPH; Morselli, Marco; Salces-Ortiz, J; Escudero, Nuria; Iannucci, Alessio; Natali, Chiara; Svardal, Hannes; Fernández, Rosa; De Pooter, Tim; Joris, Geert; Strazisar, Mojca; Wood, Jo; Herron, Katie E.; Seehausen, Ole; Watts, Phillip; Shaw, Felix; Davey, Robert P; Minotto, Alice; Fernández, José M; Böhne, Astrid; Alegria, C.; Alioto, Tyler; Alves, Paulo C; Amorim, Isabel R.; AURY, Jean-Marc; Backstrom, Niclas; Baldrian, Petr; Baltrunaite, Laima; Barta, Endre; Bed'Hom, Bertrand; Belser, Caroline; Bergsten, Johannes; Bertrand, Laurie; Bilandzija, Helena; Binzer-Panchal, Mahesh; Bista, Iliana; Blaxter, Mark; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Borges Dias, Guilherme; Bosse, Mirte; Brown, Tom; Bruggmann, Rémy; Buena-Atienza, Elena; Burgin, Josephine; Buzan, Elena; Casadei, Nicolas Lougi Pascal; CHIARA, MATTEO; Chozas, Sergio; Čiampor, Fedor; Crottini, Angelica; C., Cruaud; Cruz, Fernando; Dalén, Love; DE BIASE, Alessio; Campo, Javier Del; Delić, Teo; Dennis, Alice B; Derks, Martijn FL; Diroma, Maria Angela; Djan, Mihajla; Duprat, Simone; Eleftheriadi, Klara; Feulner, Philine GD; Flot, Jean-François; Forni, Giobbe; Fosso, Bruno; Fournier, Pascal; FOURNIER-CHAMBRILON, Christine; Gabaldón, Toni; Garg, Shilpa; Gissi, Carmela; Giupponi, Luca; Gómez-Garrido, Jèssica; Gonzalez, Josefa; Grilo, Miguel; Gruening, Bjoern; Guérin, Thomas; Guiglielmoni, Nadège; Gut, Marta; Haesler, Marcel P; Hahn, Christoph; Halpern, Balint; Harrison, Peter; Heintz, Julia; Hindrikson, Maris; Höglund, Jacob; Howe, Kerstin; Hughes, Graham; Istace, Benjamin; Cock, Mark J.; Jancekovic, Franc; Jónsson, Zophonías O; Joye-Dind, Sagane; Koskimaki, Janne J.; Krystufek, Boris; Kubacka, Justyna; Kuhl, Heiner; Kusza, Szilvia; Labadie, Karine; Lahteenaro, Meri; Lantz, Henrik; Lavrinienko, Anton; Leclere, Lucas; Lopes, Ricardo Jorge; Madsen, Ole; Magdelenat, Ghislaine; MAGOGA, GIULIA; Manousaki, Tereza; Mappes, Tapio; Marques, João Pedro; Martinez Redondo, Gemma I; Maumus, Florian; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Melo-Ferreira, José; Mendes, Sofia L; Montagna, Matteo; Moreno, João; Mosbech, Mai-Britt; Moura, Monica; Musilova, Zuzana; Myers, Eugene; Nash, Will J.; Nater, Alexander; Nicholson, Pamela; Niell, Manuel; Nijland, Reindert; Noel, Benjamin; Norén, Karin; Oliveira, Pedro H; Olsen, Remi-André; Ometto, Lino; Ossowski, Stephan; Palinauskas, Vaidas; Pálsson, Snæbjörn; Panibe, Jerome P; Paupério, Joana; Pavlek, Martina; PAYEN, Emilie; Pawłowska, Julia; Pellicer, Jaume; Pesole, Graziano; Pimenta, João; Pippel, Martin; Pirttilä, Anna Maria; Poulakakis, Nikos; Rajan, Jeena; Rego, Ruben MC; Resendes, Roberto; Resl, Philipp; Riesgo, Ana; Rödin-Mörch, Patrik; Soares, André ER; Fernandes, Carlos; Romeiras, Maria M.; Roxo, Guilherme; Rüber, Lukas; Ruiz-López, María José; Saarma, Urmas; Silva, Luís; Sim-Sim, Manuela; Soler, Lucile; Sousa, Vitor C; Sousa-Santos, C.; Spada, Alberto; Stefanovic, Milomir; Steger, Viktor; Stiller, Josefin; Stöck, Matthias; Struck, Torsten Hugo H; Sudasinghe, Hiranya; Tapanainen, Riikka; Tellgren-Roth, Christian; Trindade, Helena; Tukalenko, Yevhen; Urso, Ilenia; Vacherie, Benoit; Van Belleghem, Steven M; Van Oers, Kees; Vargas-Chavez, Carlos; Velickovic, Nevena; Vella, Noel; Vella, Adriana; Vernesi, Cristiano; Vicente, Sara; Villa, Sara; Vinnere Pettersson, Olga; Volckaert, Filip AM; Vörös, Judit; Wincker, Patrick; Winkler, Sylke; CIOFI, CLAUDIO; Waterhouse, Robert M; Mazzoni, Camila J.ABSTRACT: A global genome database of all of Earth’s species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all ∼1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 33 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.
- Topography-driven isolation, speciation and a global increase of endemism with elevationPublication . Steinbauer, Manuel J.; Field, Richard; Grytnes, John-Arvid; Trigas, Panayiotis; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Attorre, Fabio; Birks, H. John B.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Cardoso, Pedro; Chou, Chang-Hung; De Sanctis, Michele; Sequeira, Miguel M.; Duarte, Maria C.; Elias, Rui B.; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Gabriel, Rosalina; Gereau, Roy E.; Gillespie, Rosemary G.; Greimler, Josef; Harter, David E. V.; Huang, Tsurng-Juhn; Irl, Severin D. H.; Jeanmonod, Daniel; Jentsch, Anke; Jump, Alistair S.; Kueffer, Christoph; Nogué, Sandra; Otto, Rüdiger; Price, Jonathan; Romeiras, Maria M.; Strasberg, Dominique; Stuessy, Tod; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Vetaas, Ole R.; Beierkuhnlein, CarlAIM: Higher-elevation areas on islands and continental mountains tend to be separated by longer distances, predicting higher endemism at higher elevations; our study is the first to test the generality of the predicted pattern. We also compare it empirically with contrasting expectations from hypotheses invoking higher speciation with area, temperature and species richness. Location Thirty-two insular and 18 continental elevational gradients from around the world. Methods We compiled entire floras with elevation-specific occurrence information, and calculated the proportion of native species that are endemic (‘percent endemism’) in 100-m bands, for each of the 50 elevational gradients. Using generalized linear models, we tested the relationships between percent endemism and elevation, isolation, temperature, area and species richness. RESULTS: Percent endemism consistently increased monotonically with elevation, globally. This was independent of richness–elevation relationships, which had varying shapes but decreased with elevation at high elevations. The endemism–elevation relationships were consistent with isolation-related predictions, but inconsistent with hypotheses related to area, richness and temperature. Main conclusions Higher per-species speciation rates caused by increasing isolation with elevation are the most plausible and parsimonious explanation for the globally consistent pattern of higher endemism at higher elevations that we identify. We suggest that topography-driven isolation increases speciation rates in mountainous areas, across all elevations and increasingly towards the equator. If so, it represents a mechanism that may contribute to generating latitudinal diversity gradients in a way that is consistent with both present-day and palaeontological evidence.