1
|
Guillory WX, de Medeiros Magalhães F, Coelho FEA, Bonatelli IAS, Palma-Silva C, Moraes EM, Garda AA, Burbrink FT, Gehara M. Geoclimatic drivers of diversification in the largest arid and semi-arid environment of the Neotropics: Perspectives from phylogeography. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17431. [PMID: 38877815 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
The South American Dry Diagonal, also called the Diagonal of Open Formations, is a large region of seasonally dry vegetation extending from northeastern Brazil to northern Argentina, comprising the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Chaco subregions. A growing body of phylogeography literature has determined that a complex history of climatic changes coupled with more ancient geological events has produced a diverse and endemic-rich Dry Diagonal biota. However, the exact drivers are still under investigation, and their relative strengths and effects are controversial. Pleistocene climatic fluctuations structured lineages via vegetation shifts, refugium formation, and corridors between the Amazon and Atlantic forests. In some taxa, older geological events, such as the reconfiguration of the São Francisco River, uplift of the Central Brazilian Plateau, or the Miocene inundation of the Chaco by marine incursions, were more important. Here, we review the Dry Diagonal phylogeography literature, discussing each hypothesized driver of diversification and assessing degree of support. Few studies statistically test these hypotheses, with most support drawn from associating encountered phylogeographic patterns such as population structure with the timing of ancient geoclimatic events. Across statistical studies, most hypotheses are well supported, with the exception of the Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis. However, taxonomic and regional biases persist, such as a proportional overabundance of herpetofauna studies, and the under-representation of Chaco studies. Overall, both Pleistocene climate change and Neogene geological events shaped the evolution of the Dry Diagonal biota, though the precise effects are regionally and taxonomically varied. We encourage further use of model-based analyses to test evolutionary scenarios, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations to progress the field beyond its current focus on the traditional set of geoclimatic hypotheses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wilson X Guillory
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | | | | | - Isabel A S Bonatelli
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Clarisse Palma-Silva
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Evandro M Moraes
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adrian Antonio Garda
- Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Frank T Burbrink
- Department of Herpetology, The American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Marcelo Gehara
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Velasco N, Andrade N, Smit C, Bustamante R. Climatic niche convergence through space and time for a potential archaeophyte (Acacia caven) in South America. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9340. [PMID: 37291243 PMCID: PMC10250544 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35658-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the niche conservatism hypothesis, i.e. the idea that niches remain unchanged over space and time, climatic niche modelling (CNM) is a useful tool for predicting the spread of introduced taxa. Recent advances have extended such predictions deeper in time for plant species dispersed by humans before the modern era. The latest CNMs successfully evaluate niche differentiation and estimate potential source areas for intriguing taxa such as archaeophytes (i.e., species introduced before 1492 AD). Here, we performed CNMs for Acacia caven, a common Fabaceae tree in South America, considered an archaeophyte west of the Andes, in Central Chile. Accounting for the infraspecific delimitation of the species, our results showed that even when climates are different, climatic spaces used by the species overlap largely between the eastern and western ranges. Despite slight variation, results were consistent when considering one, two, or even three-environmental dimensions, and in accordance with the niche conservatism hypothesis. Specific distribution models calibrated for each region (east vs west) and projected to the past, indicate a common area of occupancy available in southern Bolivia-northwest Argentina since the late Pleistocene, which could have acted as a source-area, and this signal becomes stronger through the Holocene. Then, in accordance with a taxon introduced in the past, and comparing regional vs continental distribution models calibrated at the infraspecific or species level, the western populations showed their spread status to be mostly in equilibrium with the environment. Our study thus indicates how niche and species distribution models are useful to improve our knowledge related to taxa introduced before the modern era.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Velasco
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Nicolás Andrade
- Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christian Smit
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ramiro Bustamante
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Cape Horn International Centre, Cape Horn County, Chilean Antarctic Province, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Velasco N, Bustamante R, Smit C. Dispersal syndromes of Vachellia caven: Dismantling introduction hypotheses and the role of man as a conceptual support for an archaeophyte in South America. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17171. [PMID: 37332936 PMCID: PMC10276236 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Vachellia caven has a disjunct distribution at the southern cone of South America, occupying two major ranges: west of Andes (Central Chile) and east of them (mainly the South American Gran Chaco). For decades, the species has been subject to various ecological and natural history studies across its distribution, but questions concerning its origin in the western range remain unresolved. Thus far, it is unclear whether Vachellia caven was always a natural component of the Chilean forests, and "how" and "when" the species arrived in the country. In this study, we revised the dispersal syndromes of the species and contrast the two main hypotheses of dispersion to the west of Andes that have been proposed in the 90's, namely animal versus human-mediated dispersal. For this, we reviewed all scientific literature on the species and explored the available information on morphology, genetics, fossil records and distribution patterns of closely related species. Here we illustrate how the collected evidence provides support for the human-mediated dispersal hypothesis, by including a conceptual synthesis that summarizes the outcomes of different dispersal scenarios. Lastly, and regarding the positive ecological effects this species has in the introduced area, we suggest reconsidering the (underappreciated) historical impacts of archaeophytes and rethinking the role that indigenous human tribes may have had in the dispersion of different plants in South America.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Velasco
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Chile
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | - Ramiro Bustamante
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Chile
- Cape Horn International Centre, Cape Horn County, Chilean Antarctic Province, Chile
| | - Christian Smit
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Benítez-Benítez C, Otero A, Ford KA, García-Moro P, Donadío S, Luceño M, Martín-Bravo S, Jiménez-Mejías P. An Evolutionary Study of Carex Subg. Psyllophorae (Cyperaceae) Sheds Light on a Strikingly Disjunct Distribution in the Southern Hemisphere, With Emphasis on Its Patagonian Diversification. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:735302. [PMID: 34819937 PMCID: PMC8606891 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.735302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Carex subgenus Psyllophorae is an engaging study group due to its early diversification compared to most Carex lineages, and its remarkable disjunct distribution in four continents corresponding to three independent sections: sect. Psyllophorae in Western Palearctic, sect. Schoenoxiphium in Afrotropical region, and sect. Junciformes in South America (SA) and SW Pacific. The latter section is mainly distributed in Patagonia and the Andes, where it is one of the few Carex groups with a significant in situ diversification. We assess the role of historical geo-climatic events in the evolutionary history of the group, particularly intercontinental colonization events and diversification processes, with an emphasis on SA. We performed an integrative study using phylogenetic (four DNA regions), divergence times, diversification rates, biogeographic reconstruction, and bioclimatic niche evolution analyses. The crown age of subg. Psyllophorae (early Miocene) supports this lineage as one of the oldest within Carex. The diversification rate probably decreased over time in the whole subgenus. Geography seems to have played a primary role in the diversification of subg. Psyllophorae. Inferred divergence times imply a diversification scenario away from primary Gondwanan vicariance hypotheses and suggest long-distance dispersal-mediated allopatric diversification. Section Junciformes remained in Northern Patagonia since its divergence until Plio-Pleistocene glaciations. Andean orogeny appears to have acted as a northward corridor, which contrasts with the general pattern of North-to-South migration for temperate-adapted organisms. A striking niche conservatism characterizes the evolution of this section. Colonization of the SW Pacific took place on a single long-distance dispersal event from SA. The little ecological changes involved in the trans-Pacific disjunction imply the preadaptation of the group prior to the colonization of the SW Pacific. The high species number of the section results from simple accumulation of morphological changes (disparification), rather than shifts in ecological niche related to increased diversification rates (radiation).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Benítez-Benítez
- Botany Area, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Ana Otero
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Kerry A. Ford
- Allan Herbarium, Manaaki-Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Pablo García-Moro
- Department of Biology (Botany), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sabina Donadío
- Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN-CONICET), San Isidro, Argentina
| | - Modesto Luceño
- Botany Area, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Santiago Martín-Bravo
- Botany Area, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Pedro Jiménez-Mejías
- Department of Biology (Botany), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Castillo ML, Schaffner U, van Wilgen BW, Montaño NM, Bustamante RO, Cosacov A, Mathese MJ, Le Roux JJ. Genetic insights into the globally invasive and taxonomically problematic tree genus Prosopis. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plaa069. [PMID: 33542801 PMCID: PMC7846124 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Accurate taxonomic identification of alien species is crucial to detect new incursions, prevent or reduce the arrival of new invaders and implement management options such as biological control. Globally, the taxonomy of non-native Prosopis species is problematic due to misidentification and extensive hybridization. We performed a genetic analysis on several Prosopis species, and their putative hybrids, including both native and non-native populations, with a special focus on Prosopis invasions in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania). We aimed to clarify the taxonomic placement of non-native populations and to infer the introduction histories of Prosopis in Eastern Africa. DNA sequencing data from nuclear and chloroplast markers showed high homology (almost 100 %) between most species analysed. Analyses based on seven nuclear microsatellites confirmed weak population genetic structure among Prosopis species. Hybrids and polyploid individuals were recorded in both native and non-native populations. Invasive genotypes of Prosopis juliflora in Kenya and Ethiopia could have a similar native Mexican origin, while Tanzanian genotypes likely are from a different source. Native Peruvian Prosopis pallida genotypes showed high similarity with non-invasive genotypes from Kenya. Levels of introduced genetic diversity, relative to native populations, suggest that multiple introductions of P. juliflora and P. pallida occurred in Eastern Africa. Polyploidy may explain the successful invasion of P. juliflora in Eastern Africa. The polyploid P. juliflora was highly differentiated from the rest of the (diploid) species within the genus. The lack of genetic differentiation between most diploid species in their native ranges supports the notion that hybridization between allopatric species may occur frequently when they are co-introduced into non-native areas. For regulatory purposes, we propose to treat diploid Prosopis taxa from the Americas as a single taxonomic unit in non-native ranges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María L Castillo
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | | | - Brian W van Wilgen
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Noé Manuel Montaño
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, CP, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ramiro O Bustamante
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, CP, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrea Cosacov
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva - Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal IMBIV, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, CP, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Megan J Mathese
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Johannes J Le Roux
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|