Repeated range expansion and niche shift in a volcanic hotspot archipelago: Radiation of C₄ Hawaiian Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae).

ABSTRACT: Woody perennial plants on islands have repeatedly evolved from herbaceous mainland ancestors. Although the majority of species in Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) are small and herbaceous, a clade of 16 woody species diversified on the Hawaiian Islands. They are found in a broad range of habitats, including the only known C₄ plants adapted to wet forest understories. We investigate the history of island colonization and habitat shift in this group. We sampled 153 individuals in 15 of the 16 native species of Hawaiian Euphorbia on six major Hawaiian Islands, plus 11 New World close relatives, to elucidate the biogeographic movement of this lineage within the Hawaiian island chain. We used a concatenated chloroplast DNA

SUBMITTER: Yang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145001 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature