Evolutionary persistence in Gunnera and the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot.

ABSTRACT: Several studies have demonstrated the contribution of northern immigrants to the flora of the tropical Andes-the world's richest and most diverse biodiversity hotspot. However, much less is known about the biogeographic history and diversification of Andean groups with southern origins, although it has been suggested that northern and southern groups have contributed roughly equally to the high Andean (i.e., páramo) flora. Here we infer the evolutionary history of the southern hemisphere plant genus Gunnera, a lineage with a rich fossil history and an important ecological role as an early colonising species characteristic of wet, montane environments. Our results show striking contrasts in species diversification, where some species may have persisted for some 90 million years, and

SUBMITTER: Bacon CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5858603 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature