Temporal and spatial origin of Gesneriaceae in the New World inferred from plastid DNA sequences

Abstract

Gesneriaceae are represented in the New World (NW) by a major clade (c. 1000 species) currently recognized as subfamily Gesnerioideae. Radiation of this group occurred in all biomes of tropical America and was accompanied by extensive phenotypic and ecological diversification. Here we performed phylogenetic analyses using DNA sequences from three plastid loci to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Gesnerioideae and to investigate its relationship with other lineages of Gesneriaceae and Lamiales. Our molecular data confirm the inclusion of the South Pacific Coronanthereae and the Old World (OW) monotypic genus Titanotrichum in Gesnerioideae and the sister‐group relationship of this subfamily to the rest of the OW Gesneriaceae. Calceolariaceae and the NW genera Peltanthera and Sanango appeared successively sister to Gesneriaceae, whereas Cubitanthus, which has been previously assigned to Gesneriaceae, is shown to be related to Linderniaceae. Based on molecular dating and biogeographical reconstruction analyses, we suggest that ancestors of Gesneriaceae originated in South America during the Late Cretaceous. Distribution of Gesneriaceae in the Palaeotropics and Australasia was inferred as resulting from two independent long‐distance dispersals during the Eocene and Oligocene, respectively. In a short time span starting at 34 Mya, ancestors of Gesnerioideae colonized several Neotropical regions including the tropical Andes, Brazilian Atlantic forest, cerrado, Central America and the West Indies. Subsequent diversification within these areas occurred largely in situ and was particularly extensive in the mountainous systems of the Andes, Central America and the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Only two radiations account for 90% of the diversity of Gesneriaceae in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, whereas half of the species richness in the northern Andes and Central America originated during the last 10 Myr from a single radiation. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ●●, ●●–●●.

Adaptive radiation, correlated and contingent evolution, and net species diversification in Bromeliaceae

“…Our findings confirm the widespread pattern for many Neotropical plant groups to have diversified mostly since the Middle Miocene, associated with uplift of the northern Andes and the Serro do Mar and nearby ranges in southeastern Brazil (Givnish et al, 2004(Givnish et al, , 2007(Givnish et al, , 2011Hughes and Eastwood, 2006;Antonelli et al, 2009;Antonelli and Sanmartin, 2011;Arakaki et al, 2011;Hoorn et al, 2010;Nagalingum et al, 2011;Drew and Sytsma, 2013;Perret et al, 2013;Roncal et al, 2013;cf. Rull, 2008;Lohmann et al, 2013).…”

Pollen morphology in Brazilian species of Codonanthe (Mart.) Hanst. and Nematanthus Schrader (Gesneriaceae)

“…However, comparing the illustrations in Williams (1978) with this paper, it was found that the reticulum of C. luteola pollen grains was smaller there than that described here. According to Perret et al (2013) despite a common origin of the Codonanthe lineage in South American rainforests, there was a vicariance event between the Brazilian Atlantic forest and the Amazonian taxa afforded by the recent formation of a dry corridor among these habitats. Therefore, the small pollen morphology differences can be related to the divergence time for this group.…”

“…Based on molecular phylogenetic studies, Clark et al (2006Clark et al ( , 2012 and Perret et al (2013) reported the close relationship of Nematanthus australis Chautems and N. wettsteinii to the genus Codonanthe, with both species nesting within Codonanthe. Through pollen grains observations of N. wettsteinii, it was found that the pollen morphology supported such a placement.…”

Serra do Urubu, a biodiversity hot-spot for angiosperms in the northern Atlantic Forest (Pernambuco, Brazil)

“…However, comparing the floristic checklists of Usina São José and Serra do Urubu, this assertion is not confirmed. It is noteworthy that some families such as Bignoniaceae and Polygalaceae are more diverse in lowland forests , unlike Gesneriaceae and Begoniaceae that are richer in middle and high elevation areas (Clement et al 2004;Perret et al 2013). Piperaceae is another example of the richness of the flora of Serra do Urubu being more pronounced in higher altitude forests than in lowland forests (Guedes 1998;Sacramento et al 2007;Soares Jr. et al 2008;Alves et al 2013).…”