Revisiting phylogeny, systematics, and biogeography of a Pleistocene radiation

Author(s)

Romeiro-Brito, Monique ; Khan, Gulzar ; Perez, Manolo F. ; Zappi, Daniela C. ; Taylor, Nigel P. ; Olsthoorn, Gerardus ; Franco, Fernando F. ; Moraes, Evandro M.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY; v. 110, n. 3, p. 17-pg., 2023-03-07.

Abstract

PremisePilosocereus (Cactaceae) is an important dry forest element in all subregions and transitional zones of the neotropics, with the highest diversity in eastern Brazil. The genus is subdivided into informal taxonomic groups; however, most of these are not supported by recent molecular phylogenetic inferences. This lack of confidence is probably due to the use of an insufficient number of loci and the complexity of cactus diversification. Here, we explored the species relationships in Pilosocereus in more detail, integrating multilocus phylogenetic approaches with the assessment of the ancestral range and the effect of geography on diversification shifts. MethodsWe used 28 nuclear, plastid, and mitochondrial loci from 54 plant samples of 31 Pilosocereus species for phylogenetic analyses. We used concatenated and coalescent phylogenetic trees and Bayesian models to estimate the most likely ancestral range and diversification shifts. ResultsAll Pilosocereus species were clustered in the same branch, except P. bohlei. The phylogenetic relationships were more associated with the geographic distribution than taxonomic affinities among taxa. The genus began diversifying during the Plio-Pleistocene transition in the Caatinga domain and experienced an increased diversification rate during the Calabrian age. ConclusionsWe recovered a well-supported multispecies coalescent phylogeny. Our results refine the pattern of rapid diversification of Pilosocereus species across neotropical drylands during the Pleistocene and highlight the need for taxonomic rearrangements in the genus. We recovered a pulse of diversification during the Pleistocene that was likely driven by multiple dispersal and vicariance events within and among the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest domains. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/06160-5 - Phylogeny of the Pilosocereus genus (Cactaceae) and coalescent-based species delimitation in the Pilosocereus aurisetus group using multilocus data
• Grantee: Evandro Marsola de Moraes
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/25227-0 - Multilocus phylogenetic analysis to recover evolutionary relationships among species of genus Cereus (Cactaceae; Cereeae)
• Grantee: Fernando de Faria Franco
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/22943-1 - Multiloci phylogeography of PILOSOCEREUS AURISETUS group (Cactaceae)
• Grantee: Manolo Fernandez Perez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 12/22477-0 - Next generation phylogeography of the Pilosocereus aurisetus cactus species group: hypotheses testing and markers development
• Grantee: Evandro Marsola de Moraes
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants