Comparative diversification analyses of Hydrangeaceae and Loasaceae reveal complex evolutionary history as species disperse out of Mesoamerica.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

The movement of lineages into novel areas can promote ecological opportunity and adaptive radiation, leading to significant species diversity. Not all studies, however, have identified support for ecological opportunity associated with novel intercontinental colonizations. To gain key insights into the drivers of ecological opportunity, we tested whether intercontinental dispersals resulted in ecological opportunity using the Hydrangeaceae-Loasaceae clade, which has numerous centers of diversity across the globe.

Methods

A time-calibrated phylogeny was reconstructed from four molecular markers. We tested for bursts of speciation rates followed by a decrease as expected phylogenetic patterns under an ecological opportunity model. Ancestral ranges were estimated using

SUBMITTER: Schenk JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11744445 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature