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Background  Ecological factors often have a strong impact on spatiotemporal patterns of biodiversity. The integration of spatial ecology and phylogenetics allows for rigorous tests of whether speciation is associated with niche conservatism (constraints on ecological divergence) or niche divergence. We address this question in a genus of livebearing fishes for which the role of sexual selection in speciation has long been studied, but in which the potential role of ecological divergence during speciation has not been tested.    Results  By combining reconstruction of ancestral climate tolerances and disparity indices, we show that the earliest evolutionary split in  Xiphophorus  was associated with significant divergence for temperature variables. Niche evolution and present day niches were most closely associated with each species’ geographic distribution relative to a biogeographic barrier, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Tests for similarity of the environmental backgrounds of closely related species suggested that the relative importance of niche conservatism and divergence during speciation varied among the primary clades of  Xiphophorus . Closely related species in the two swordtail clades exhibited higher levels of niche overlap than expected given environmental background similarity indicative of niche conservatism. In contrast, almost all species of platyfish had significantly divergent niches compared to environmental backgrounds, which is indicative of niche divergence.    Conclusion  The results suggest that the relative importance of niche conservatism and divergence differed among the clades of  Xiphophorus  and that traits associated with niche evolution may be more evolutionarily labile in the platyfishes. Our results ultimately suggest that the taxonomic scale of tests for conservatism and divergence could greatly influence inferences of their relative importance in the speciation process.    Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0593-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ecological divergence and conservatism: spatiotemporal patterns of niche evolution in a genus of livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae: Xiphophorus)