Biogeography of Nymphaeales: extant patterns and historical events

Abstract

With the present study we attempt to elucidate the history of the order Nymphaeales—water‐lilies and relatives—in time and space. On the basis of a dense taxon sampling that covers all genera of Cabombaceae and Nymphaeaceae and all subgenera of the genus Nymphaea, and on the basis of well‐supported phylogenetic hypotheses, we estimate divergence times in Nymphaeales. Distribution data for all species are used to reconstruct ancestral ranges and to identify possible dispersal events in the biogeographic history of Nymphaeales. Considering the fossil record for the clade as well as geologic history, a plausible historical scenario can be drawn. The assessment of extant biogeography shows that there are several centres of species diversity for Nymphaeales, i.e., northern South America, Central America, the Zambezian region of Africa and northern Australia. However, the diversification of the Nymphaeales started in the Northern Hemisphere when the northern landmasses were covered by tropical vegetation, except for the very high latitudes. The estimation of divergence times depicted two distinct radiation events, a rapid first differentiation into three major lineages during the Paleocene (Cabombaceae, Nuphar, remaining Nymphaeaceae) and the radiation of core Nymphaeaceae (Victoria, Euryale, Nymphaea incl. Ondinea) from the Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene. The second radiation probably started in the Northern Hemisphere. We hypothesize that subsequent spatial separation and southward relocation of the descendants led to the disjunct distribution of extant sister lineages in core Nymphaeaceae, e.g., Euryale‐Victoria or Nymphaea subgg. Hydrocallis and Lotos.

A phylogeny and biogeographic analysis for the Cape-Pondweed family Aponogetonaceae (Alismatales)

“…In conclusion, the biogeography of the aquatic family Aponogetonaceae matches previous generalizations and molecular clockbased inferences about the extreme mobility of aquatic plants, first stressed by Les et al (2003) and since supported in many studies, for example, for Hydrocharitaceae (Chen et al, 2012a) Alismataceae (Chen et al, 2012b), Alismatales (Chen et al, 2013), Nymphaeales (Löhne et al, 2008), and Hydatellaceae (Iles et al, 2014). It would be interesting to repeat Darwin's (1863: Letter to Hooker;Veak, 2003) famous experiment of germinating seeds from the mud stuck on a single partridge's leg.…”

Phylogenetic tree of vascular plants reveals the origins of aquatic angiosperms

“…Nymphaeales diverged from the near‐basal node of the extant angiosperm phylogenetic tree. Considering the diversity and the nearly global distribution of its members, Nymphaeales stands out as the first globally diverse clade in the tree of extant angiosperms (Löhne et al, ). Other basal angiosperm lineages, such as Amborellales or Austrobaileyales, are restricted to much narrower relict ranges (Löhne et al, ).…”

“…Considering the diversity and the nearly global distribution of its members, Nymphaeales stands out as the first globally diverse clade in the tree of extant angiosperms (Löhne et al, ). Other basal angiosperm lineages, such as Amborellales or Austrobaileyales, are restricted to much narrower relict ranges (Löhne et al, ). The placement of Trithuria (Hydatellaceae) in the Nymphaeales indicates that water lilies are part of a larger lineage than previously recognized (Saarela et al, ).…”

“…The rapid diversification of angiosperms in the Early Cretaceous is well documented in the fossil record (Feild & Arens, ). Due to the diversity of fossils, it is impossible to draw unequivocal conclusions on the life form of early angiosperms (Löhne, ). There are two divergent views on the general habit of the earliest angiosperms: woody and terrestrial or herbaceous and aquatic (Soltis et al, ).…”

Genetic Variability of Thermal Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) Populations Based on ISSR Markers: Implications on Relationships, Hybridization, and Conservation

“…Nc, Nymphaea caerulea; Npp, Nymphaea 'Panama Pacific'; F1, F2 generation; BcNc, backcross to N. caerulea; BcNpp, backcross to Nymphaea 'Panama Pacific' However, there are still open questions and new data has also been generated that is now available for reconstruction of robust hypothesis of phylogeny (e.g., Volkova et al 2010). Outgroup effects in phylogenetic analyses of the genus have been thoroughly discussed in the first molecular studies, as well as the identification of major lineages and biogeographic patterns (Slocum 2005;Borsch et al 2007;Löhne et al 2008b). In the present analysis, we used Nuphar lutea as outgroup, while it was concluded that distant or closely related outgroups will not affect the basic topology of reconstructed trees (Borsch et al 2008).…”