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Blanco-Gavaldà C, Galbany-Casals M, Susanna A, Andrés-Sánchez S, Bayer RJ, Brochmann C, Cron GV, Bergh NG, Garcia-Jacas N, Gizaw A, Kandziora M, Kolář F, López-Alvarado J, Leliaert F, Letsara R, Moreyra LD, Razafimandimbison SG, Schmickl R, Roquet C. Repeatedly Northwards and Upwards: Southern African Grasslands Fuel the Colonization of the African Sky Islands in Helichrysum (Compositae). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12112213. [PMID: 37299192 DOI: 10.3390/plants12112213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Afromontane and Afroalpine areas constitute some of the main biodiversity hotspots of Africa. They are particularly rich in plant endemics, but the biogeographic origins and evolutionary processes leading to this outstanding diversity are poorly understood. We performed phylogenomic and biogeographic analyses of one of the most species-rich plant genera in these mountains, Helichrysum (Compositae-Gnaphalieae). Most previous studies have focused on Afroalpine elements of Eurasian origin, and the southern African origin of Helichrysum provides an interesting counterexample. We obtained a comprehensive nuclear dataset from 304 species (≈50% of the genus) using target-enrichment with the Compositae1061 probe set. Summary-coalescent and concatenation approaches combined with paralog recovery yielded congruent, well-resolved phylogenies. Ancestral range estimations revealed that Helichrysum originated in arid southern Africa, whereas the southern African grasslands were the source of most lineages that dispersed within and outside Africa. Colonization of the tropical Afromontane and Afroalpine areas occurred repeatedly throughout the Miocene-Pliocene. This timing coincides with mountain uplift and the onset of glacial cycles, which together may have facilitated both speciation and intermountain gene flow, contributing to the evolution of the Afroalpine flora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carme Blanco-Gavaldà
- Systematics and Evolution of Vascular Plants-Associated Unit to CSIC by IBB, Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, ES-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Mercè Galbany-Casals
- Systematics and Evolution of Vascular Plants-Associated Unit to CSIC by IBB, Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, ES-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Alfonso Susanna
- Botanic Institute of Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona, Pg. Migdia s/n, ES-08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Andrés-Sánchez
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology and Plant DNA Biobank, DNA National Bank, University of Salamanca, Edificio I+D+i, Espejo St., ES-37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Randall J Bayer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Biodiversity, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Christian Brochmann
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Glynis V Cron
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Nicola G Bergh
- Foundational Biodiversity Science, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X7, Newlands, Cape Town 7735, South Africa
| | - Núria Garcia-Jacas
- Botanic Institute of Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona, Pg. Migdia s/n, ES-08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Abel Gizaw
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 3434, Ethiopia
| | - Martha Kandziora
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benátská 2, CZ-12801 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Kolář
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benátská 2, CZ-12801 Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-25243 Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Javier López-Alvarado
- Systematics and Evolution of Vascular Plants-Associated Unit to CSIC by IBB, Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, ES-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Rokiman Letsara
- Herbarium of the Parc Botanique et Zoologique of Tsimbazaza (PBZT), Antananarivo 3G9G+V6C, Madagascar
| | - Lucía D Moreyra
- Botanic Institute of Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona, Pg. Migdia s/n, ES-08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Roswitha Schmickl
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benátská 2, CZ-12801 Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-25243 Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Cristina Roquet
- Systematics and Evolution of Vascular Plants-Associated Unit to CSIC by IBB, Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, ES-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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Chumová Z, Mandáková T, Trávníček P. On the Origin of Tetraploid Vernal Grasses ( Anthoxanthum) in Europe. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:966. [PMID: 34202779 PMCID: PMC8308110 DOI: 10.3390/genes12070966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyploidy has played a crucial role in the evolution of many plant taxa, namely in higher latitudinal zones. Surprisingly, after several decades of an intensive research on polyploids, there are still common polyploid species whose evolutionary history is virtually unknown. Here, we addressed the origin of sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) using flow cytometry, DNA sequencing, and in situ hybridization-based cytogenetic techniques. An allotetraploid and polytopic origin of the species has been verified. The chromosome study reveals an extensive variation between the European populations. In contrast, an autopolyploid origin of the rarer tetraploid vernal grass species, A. alpinum, has been corroborated. Diploid A. alpinum played an essential role in the polyploidization of both European tetraploids studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Chumová
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, CZ-242 53 Průhonice, Czech Republic;
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Terezie Mandáková
- CEITEC, Masaryk University, CZ-625 00 Brno, Czech Republic;
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Trávníček
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, CZ-242 53 Průhonice, Czech Republic;
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Migliore J, Lézine AM, Hardy OJ. The recent colonization history of the most widespread Podocarpus tree species in Afromontane forests. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 126:73-83. [PMID: 32193530 PMCID: PMC7304463 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Afromontane forests host a unique biodiversity distributed in isolated high-elevation habitats within a matrix of rain forests or savannahs, yet they share a remarkable flora that raises questions about past connectivity between currently isolated forests. Here, we focused on the Podocarpus latifolius-P. milanjianus complex (Podocarpaceae), the most widely distributed conifers throughout sub-Saharan African highlands, to infer its demographic history from genetic data. METHODS We sequenced the whole plastid genome, mitochondrial DNA regions and nuclear ribosomal DNA of 88 samples from Cameroon to Angola in western Central Africa and from Kenya to the Cape region in eastern and southern Africa to reconstruct time-calibrated phylogenies and perform demographic inferences. KEY RESULTS We show that P. latifolius and P. milanjianus form a single species, whose lineages diverged during the Pleistocene, mostly between approx, 200 000 and 300 000 years BP, after which they underwent a wide range expansion leading to their current distributions. Confronting phylogenomic and palaeoecological data, we argue that the species originated in East Africa and reached the highlands of the Atlantic side of Africa through two probable latitudinal migration corridors: a northern one towards the Cameroon volcanic line, and a southern one towards Angola. Although the species is now rare in large parts of its range, no demographic decline was detected, probably because it occurred too recently to have left a genetic signature in our DNA sequences. CONCLUSIONS Despite the ancient and highly fluctuating history of podocarps in Africa revealed by palaeobotanical records, the extended distribution of current P. latifolius/milanjianus lineages is shown to result from a more recent history, mostly during the mid-late Pleistocene, when Afromontane forests were once far more widespread and continuous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Migliore
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN/IPSL), CNRS UMR, Paris, France
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences, Service Evolution Biologique et Ecologie, Bruxelles, Belgium
- Muséum départemental du Var, Toulon, France
| | - Anne-Marie Lézine
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN/IPSL), CNRS UMR, Paris, France
| | - Olivier J Hardy
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences, Service Evolution Biologique et Ecologie, Bruxelles, Belgium
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Tusiime FM, Gizaw A, Gussarova G, Nemomissa S, Popp M, Masao CA, Wondimu T, Abdi AA, Mirré V, Muwanika V, Eilu G, Brochmann C. Afro-alpine flagships revisited: Parallel adaptation, intermountain admixture and shallow genetic structuring in the giant senecios (Dendrosenecio). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228979. [PMID: 32187202 PMCID: PMC7080232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Distantly related lineages of the enigmatic giant rosette plants of tropical alpine environments provide classical examples of convergent adaptation. For the giant senecios (Dendrosenecio), the endemic landmarks of the East African sky islands, it has also been suggested that parallel adaptation has been important for within-lineage differentiation. To test this hypothesis and to address potential gene flow and hybridization among the isolated sky islands, we organized field expeditions to all major mountains. We sampled all currently accepted species and all but one subspecies and genotyped 460 plants representing 109 populations. We tested whether genetic structuring corresponds to geography, as predicted by a parallel adaptation hypothesis, or to altitudinal belt and habitat rather than mountains, as predicted by a hypothesis of a single origin of adaptations. Bayesian and Neighbor-Net analyses showed that the main genetic structure is shallow and largely corresponds to geography, supporting a hypothesis of recent, rapid radiation via parallel altitude/habitat adaptation on different mountains. We also found evidence for intermountain admixture, suggesting several long-distance dispersals by wind across vast areas of unsuitable habitat. The combination of parallel adaptation, secondary contact, and hybridization may explain the complex patterns of morphological variation and the contradicting taxonomic treatments of these rare enigmatic giants, supporting the use of wide taxonomic concepts. Notably, the within-population genetic diversity was very low and calls for increased conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felly Mugizi Tusiime
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Abel Gizaw
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Galina Gussarova
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Botany, St Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia
- UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, UMAK, The Arctic University Museum of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Magnus Popp
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Catherine Aloyce Masao
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Forest Biology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Tigist Wondimu
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ahmed Abdikadir Abdi
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Botany Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Virginia Mirré
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vincent Muwanika
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Gerald Eilu
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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