Rapid Radiation of a Plant Lineage Sheds Light on the Assembly of Dry Valley Biomes.

ABSTRACT: Southwest China is characterized by high plateaus, large mountain systems, and deeply incised dry valleys formed by major rivers and their tributaries. Despite the considerable attention given to alpine plant radiations in this region, the timing and mode of diversification of the numerous dry valley plant lineages remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the macroevolution of Isodon (Lamiaceae), a lineage commonly distributed in the dry valleys in southwest China and wetter areas of Asia and Africa. We reconstructed a robust phylogeny encompassing nearly 90% of the approximately 140 extant Isodon species using transcriptome and genome-resequencing data. Our results suggest a rapid radiation of Isodon during the Pliocene that coincided with a habit shift from herbs to

SUBMITTER: Chen YP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11817785 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature