Lian L, Xiang KL, Ortiz RDC, Wang W. A multi-locus phylogeny for the Neotropical Anomospermeae (Menispermaceae): Implications for taxonomy and biogeography.
Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019;
136:44-52. [PMID:
30951922 DOI:
10.1016/j.ympev.2019.04.006]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Neotropical rainforests cover about half of the world's tropical rainforests and house most of the biodiversity available on Earth. Australasia has been suggested as a potential source for Neotropical diversity. However, it remains unclear whether megathermal lineages could indeed have migrated to South America though Antarctica. The Neotropical Anomospermeae (Menispermaceae) consists of large, canopy lianas and is entirely restricted to tropical lowland rainforests. The sister relationship identified between this group and its Australasian ally represents an excellent model to test hypotheses regarding past connections between those landmasses. In this study, we used six chloroplast and two nuclear DNA markers to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within the Neotropical Anomospermeae (Menispermaceae). The phylogeny of this group was then used as basis to reconstruct its biogeographical history. The phylogenetic framework reconstructed here strongly supports the monophyly of the Neotropical Anomospermeae and recovers the species of Anomospermum in three different clades: (i) Anomospermum sect. Anomospermum plus Orthomene; (ii) Anomospermum grandifolium and A. solimoesanum (Anomospermum sect. Elissarrhena); and (iii) Anomospermum bolivianum (Anomospermum sect. Elissarrhena). Each of these clades is recognized as a different genus and the necessary taxonomic changes are proposed. Furthermore, the Neotropical Anomospermeae seems to have split from its Australasian sister-group at c. 62 Ma. Ancestral area reconstructions support an Australasian origin for the Neotropical Anomospermeae, providing additional support for the hypothesis that Australasia is a source of Neotropical diversity, with megathermal lineages having dispersed via Antarctica. The Neotropical Anomospermeae differentiated in the late Eocene and subsequently diversified rapidly into seven lineages, suggesting that Neotropical lowland rainforests resembling modern rainforests physiognomically and structurally might not have developed until the late Eocene. The Neotropical Anomospermeae exemplifies the contributions of Australasian migration to Neotropical diversity.
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