Origin and biogeography of the ancient genus Isoëtes with focus on the Neotropics

Abstract Isoëtes has a worldwide distribution and comprises c. 250 species. With 64 species, South America is its centre of taxonomic diversity. However, South American Isoëtes has been poorly sampled in previous phylogenetic studies, resulting in uncertainties about its phylogenetic relationships a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Botanical journal of the Linnean Society 2017-10, Vol.185 (2), p.253-271
Main Authors: Pereira, Jovani B S, Labiak, Paulo H, Stützel, Thomas, Schulz, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Biogeography
Biological evolution
Cretaceous
Diversification
Fossils
Gondwana
Pangea
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Species
Species diversity
Terrestrial environments
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Summary:Abstract Isoëtes has a worldwide distribution and comprises c. 250 species. With 64 species, South America is its centre of taxonomic diversity. However, South American Isoëtes has been poorly sampled in previous phylogenetic studies, resulting in uncertainties about its phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical history. In this study, we increased the sampling from this region from ten to 26 species and inferred a phylogenetic hypothesis for 75 species worldwide, using one nuclear and three plastid markers. We also used information from four fossils to calibrate the phylogenetic tree. Ancestral range estimates were inferred using BioGeoBEARS. Our phylogenetic tree provides new insights into Neotropical Isoëtes. The earliest diversification of Isoëtes took place after the breakup of Pangaea, and the most species-rich group began to diversify close to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Between the South African and core Gondwanan clade and within the core Gondwanan clade, vicariance played an important role in the diversification of Isoëtes. The diversification of the American clade matches the opening of the terrestrial passage between North and South America 13 Mya. We also show that, despite difficulties in the species identification, Isoëtes is a strategic group for testing evolutionary hypotheses and biogeographical patterns across the Neotropics.
ISSN:0024-4074
1095-8339
DOI:10.1093/botlinnean/box057