Evolutionary history of marginal habitats regulates the diversity of tree communities in the Atlantic Forest.

Our results contradict the idea that all marginal habitat types of the Atlantic Forest are subsets of the rainforest. We show that marginal habitat types have different evolutionary histories and may act as "equilibrium zones for biodiversity" in the Atlantic Forest, generating new species or conserving others. Overall, our results add evolutionary insights that reinforce the urgency of encompassing all habitat types in the Atlantic Forest concept.