Calyceraceae: Unexpected diversification pattern in the Southern Andes

BRIGNONE NICOLÁS FERNANDO; MAZET NATHAN; POZNER RAÚL; DENHAM SILVIA SUYAI

PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS

ELSEVIER GMBH

Año: 2023 vol. 60

1433-8319

Calyceraceae comprises 46 species mostly endemic to the Andes and Patagonia in SouthernSouth America, and it is the sister family of Asteraceae, one of the largest Angiospermfamilies. With a robust phylogeny and with an exceptionally good sampling fraction, weperformed macroevolution and biogeographic analyses to understand paleodiversitydynamics through time and space, and its potential drivers. We address the impact of theAndean uplift, global temperature, life forms, and biogeography on Calyceraceaediversification through a time-calibrated phylogeny.Calyceraceae diversification was homogeneous through time and followed a low speciationrate for the last 24 Mya, with no lineage differing much in their diversification dynamics. Inaccordance with the homogeneous speciation rate, we found that neither the Andean uplift,nor the evolution of global average temperature, nor the different life forms have affectedits diversification. The Southern Andes is the centre of origin of the family and majorclades within it, and most dispersal events occurred from the Andes to Patagonia. MostCalyceraceae species seem to have originated, evolved, and dispersed within theArgentinean Arid Diagonal, indicating that niche conservatism could have played animportant role in the evolution of Calyceraceae. Differences in macroevolution dynamicscould explain the asymmetry of species richness in the two sister families Asteraceae-Calyceraceae.