Phylogenetic relationships within the Mexican genus Bakerantha (Hechtioideae, Bromeliaceae) based on plastid and nuclear DNA: Implications for taxonomy

Abstract

Bakerantha is one of the three genera of subfamily Hechtioideae (Bromeliaceae). This genus was reestablished recently, and it currently contains four species (B. caerulea, B. lundelliorum, B. purpusii, and B. tillandsioides), which are distributed throughout the central region of Mexico. Bakerantha tillandsioides has the widest geographical distribution of the four species, and some populations currently referred to it do not match the species description. In this study, we used extensive sampling (81 accessions) of four plastid regions (matK, rpl32-trnL, rps16-trnK, and ycf1) and the nuclear PRK gene to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and delimit the species boundaries in Bakerantha. Our results confirm the monophyly of Bakerantha, and the species delimitation analysis supports five evolutionary lineages within Bakerantha, showing that B. tillandsioides is nonmonophyletic as currently circumscribed. Diagnostic characters and coherent geographical distributions support the five lineages. On the basis of our results, we describe and illustrate B. hidalguense as a new species and provide evidence that B. caerulea is morphologically and ecologically different from B. tillandsioides, with which it has been confused in the past. Additionally, we provide a morphological key to the Bakerantha species.

Spatial phylogenetics in Hechtioideae (Bromeliaceae) reveals recent diversification and dispersal

“…In the only biogeographic study carried out for this group, Pech-Cárdenas (2015) identified that the biogeographic provinces with the greatest specific richness of Hechtioideae are the Pacific Lowlands, Sierra Madre del Sur, Veracruz, Balsas Basin, and Mexican Highland provinces. Most species have restricted distribution ranges and high endemism rates (Ramírez-Morillo et al 2018b); accordingly, most of these species have been assessed as under some risk category according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Pech-Cárdenas 2015, Ramírez-Morillo et al 2016, Ramírez-Morillo et al 2020, Romero-Soler et al 2022.…”

“…In recent years, efforts have been made to determine the evolutionary history of this group of plants by analyzing their phylogenetic relationships and the description and delimitation of their species (García-Ruiz et al 2014, González-Rocha et al 2014, López-Ferrari & Espejo-Serna 2014a, Ramírez-Morillo et al 2014, Ramírez-Morillo et al 2015, Ramírez-Morillo et al 2016, Flores-Argüelles et al 2019, Hernández-Cárdenas et al 2019, Hernández-Cárdenas et al 2020, Romero-Soler et al 2022). These advances have made possible to identify the monophyly of Hechtioideae and the presence of three well-supported clades corresponding to three genera; Bakerantha with five species, Hechtia with ca.…”

“…These advances have made possible to identify the monophyly of Hechtioideae and the presence of three well-supported clades corresponding to three genera; Bakerantha with five species, Hechtia with ca. 76 species, and Mesoamerantha with three species (Ramírez-Morillo et al 2018b, Romero-Soler et al 2022. However, there are still evolutionary and biogeographic aspects that have not been fully studied, for example, the diversification process in the lineage and the identification of areas of higher or lower diversity.…”

Expansions and contractions of the inverted repeat, as well as gene loss and potential pseudogenization shape plastome evolution in Hechtioideae (Bromeliaceae, Poales)

“…The phylogenetic relationships in Hechtioideae have previously been based on a few plastid ( rpl32 ‐ trnL IGS, rps16 ‐ trnK IGS, matK gene, and ycf1 gene) and one nuclear ( PRK gene) loci, used to address different taxonomic scales (Ramírez‐Morillo et al, 2018a; Rivera‐Martínez et al, 2022; Romero‐Soler et al, 2022a, 2022b). These studies have contributed evidence for the recognition of three genera: Bakerantha L.B.…”

A long-flowering Hechtia (Bromeliaceae): Hechtia sanchezii, a new species from San Luis Potosí, Mexico

“…The second genus is Bakerantha L.B. Sm., with five species endemics to the central eastern region of Mexico (Romero-Soler et al 2022b), with plants that vegetatively resemble those of the distantly related species of Pitcairnia L'Hér. by their long, hanging leaves, especially on species such as B. lundelliorum (L.B.…”