Molecular data and ecological niche modelling reveal the phylogeographic pattern ofCotinus coggygria(Anacardiaceae) in China's warm‐temperate zone

Abstract

The phylogeography of common and widespread species helps to elucidate the history of local flora and vegetation. In this study, we selected Cotinus coggygria, a species widely distributed in China's warm-temperate zone. One chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) region and ecological niche modelling were used to examine the phylogeographic pattern of C. coggygria. The cpDNA data revealed two phylogeographic groups (Southern and Northern) corresponding to the geographic regions. Divergence time analyses revealed that divergence of the two groups occurred at approximately 147,000 years before the present (BP), which coincided with the formation of the downstream area of the Yellow River, indicating that the Yellow River was a weak phylogeographic divide for C. coggygria. The molecular data and ecological niche modelling also indicated that C. coggyria did not experience population expansion after glaciations. This study thus supports the fact that Pleistocene glacial cycles only slightly affected C. coggygria, which survived in situ and occupied multiple localised glacial refugia during glaciations. This finding is contrary to the hypothesis of large-scale range habitat contraction and retreat into a few main refugia.

Adaptive genetic variation in the smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria Scop.) is driven by precipitation

“…Previous phylogeographical studies indicated that C. coggygria is a locally adaptive species with a wide distribution range (Wang et al, 2014b). However, whether adaptive evolution occurred on C. coggygria and whether a key factor drives the process of adaptation are unclear.…”

“…Similar to other species in the family Anacardiaceae, C. coggygria has a typical flower disc that is used to attract pollinators. Seed dispersers of many species in Anacardiaceae, including C. coggygria, are birds or mammals (Wang et al, 2014b). Although C. coggygria has efficient transmission mechanisms for seeds and pollen, increasing geographical distances and human activities resulted in a significant genetic differentiation among populations.…”

“…Nevertheless, previous phylogeographical studies in this area reported that plants survived by using two adaptative strategies in response to climate change during the Pleistocene. Cercidiphyllum (Qi et al, 2012), Pteroceltis tatarinowii , and Bupleurum longiradiatum (Zhao et al, 2013) survived by long-distance migration, and Platycarya strobilacea , Cotinus coggygria (Wang et al, 2014b), and Forsythia suspensa (Fu et al, 2014) survived by local adaptation. In such cases, heterogeneous environmental conditions were inferred to have resulted in adaptive genetic variations and the local adaptation of genetically based phenotypic traits (Eckert et al, 2010).…”

“…C. coggygria grows well under direct sunlight and warm conditions and cannot tolerate wetness (Li and Li, 2009). A previous phylogeographical study indicated that C. coggygria survived over a long period by local adaptation (Wang et al, 2014b). Therefore, C. coggygria is an ideal candidate for investigating adaptive genetic evolution.…”

Evaluating the occurrence and conservation status of Sri Lankan species of Anacardiaceae

“…Members of this family in other countries have been investigated for their occurrence (Tien-lu, 1980;Swaminath, 2000;Yi et al,2004;Wang, 2014), chemical composition and their applications (Garcia et al, 1999;Ippen, 1982;Benzi, 2009;Makom, 2010;Ojewole, 2005;Ameyapoh, 2010;Al Sayed, 2010;Murray, 2009;Descamps, 2011) and as well as for their molecular data (Wang et al, 2014;Miller et al, 2001, Pell, 2004Yi, 2008). However, in Sri Lanka, members of this family have been studied for their ecological contributions (Weerakkody, and Parkinson, 2006;Gunatilleke, et al, 2005;Jayasekara, et al, 2003;Ganashan, 1996;Gunatilleke and Gunatilleke, 1991;De Zoysa, et al, 1988;Jayasekera, 1992) and medicinal values (Kankanamalage, et al, 2014).…”