Evolutionary persistence in Gunnera and the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot

PeerJ

article

Christine D. Bacon¹  Francisco J. Velásquez-Puentes³  Luis Felipe Hinojosa⁵  Thomas Schwartz¹  Bengt Oxelman¹  Bernard Pfeil¹  Mary T.K. Arroyo⁵  Livia Wanntorp⁶  Alexandre Antonelli¹ 

[1] Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg;Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre;Laboratório de Biología Molecular ,(CINBIN), Universidad Industrial de Santander;Departamento de Química y Biología, Universidad del Norte;Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile;Department of Phanerogamic Botany;Gothenburg Botanical Garden;Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

关键词: Diversification;    Climate change;    Biogeography;    Neotropics;    Gondwana;    Species longevity;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.4388

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Several studies have demonstrated the contribution of northern immigrants to the flora of the tropical Andes—the world’s richest and most diverse biodiversity hotspot. However, much less is known about the biogeographic history and diversification of Andean groups with southern origins, although it has been suggested that northern and southern groups have contributed roughly equally to the high Andean (i.e., páramo) flora. Here we infer the evolutionary history of the southern hemisphere plant genus Gunnera, a lineage with a rich fossil history and an important ecological role as an early colonising species characteristic of wet, montane environments. Our results show striking contrasts in species diversification, where some species may have persisted for some 90 million years, and whereas others date to less than 2 Ma since origination. The outstanding longevity of the group is likely linked to a high degree of niche conservatism across its highly disjunct range, whereby Gunnera tracks damp and boggy soils in cool habitats. Colonisation of the northern Andes is related to Quaternary climate change, with subsequent rapid diversification appearing to be driven by their ability to take advantage of environmental opportunities. This study demonstrates the composite origin of a mega-diverse biota.

【 授权许可】

CC BY