Phylogeny, biogeography, and morphological ancestral character reconstruction in the Mediterranean genus Fumana (Cistaceae)

Abstract

Fumana is a diverse genus of the Cistaceae family, consisting of 21 currently accepted species. In this study, nuclear (ITS) and plastid (matK, trnT-L) molecular markers were used to reconstruct the phylogeny and to estimate divergence times, including 19 species of Fumana. Phylogenetic analyses (Bayesian Inference, Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood) confirmed the monophyly of Fumana and did not support the infrageneric divisions previously established. The results support four main clades that group species that differ in vegetative and reproductive characters. Given the impossibility to define morphological characters common to all species within the clades, our proposal is to reject infrageneric divisions. Molecular dating and ancestral area analyses provide evidence for a Miocene diversification of the genus in the north-western Mediterranean. Ancestral state reconstructions revealed ancestral character states for some traits related to xeric and arid habitats, suggesting a preadaptation to the Mediterranean climate.

Phylogeography and host‐shift speciation in the vampirecups, an enigmatic clade of endophytic holoparasitic plants

“…According to the nuclear tree, the split that gave rise to the Mediterranean Cytinus occurred around 26 Myr (Figure 2), which is strikingly similar to the crown age of the Cistaceae, the host family for Cytinus in this region (23–28 Myr; Aparicio et al, 2017). It has been suggested that the western Mediterranean was the main centre of diversification of the Cistaceae family and that the ancestors of most extant Cistaceae were initially present in south‐eastern Iberia and North Africa during the Miocene, under pre‐Mediterranean environmental conditions (Carrio et al, 2020; Guzman & Vargas, 2009; Martín‐Hernanz et al, 2021). The western Mediterranean may have been colonized by the ancestral palaeotropical Cytinus lineage via dispersal events across sub‐Saharan Africa.…”

“…It has been suggested that the western Mediterranean was the main centre of diversification of the Cistaceae family and that the ancestors of most extant Cistaceae were initially present in south-eastern Iberia and North Africa during the Miocene, under pre-Mediterranean environmental conditions (Carrio et al, 2020;Guzman & Vargas, 2009;Martín-Hernanz et al, 2021). The western Mediterranean may have been colonized by the ancestral palaeotropical Cytinus lineage via dispersal events across sub-Saharan Africa.…”