Evidence linking life-form to a major shift in diversification rate in Crassula
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Evidence linking life-form to a major shift in diversification rate in Crassula. / Lu, Meng; Fradera-Soler, Marc; Forest, Felix; Barraclough, Timothy G.; Grace, Olwen M.
In: American Journal of Botany, Vol. 109, No. 2, 2022, p. 272-290.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Evidence linking life-form to a major shift in diversification rate in Crassula
AU - Lu, Meng
AU - Fradera-Soler, Marc
AU - Forest, Felix
AU - Barraclough, Timothy G.
AU - Grace, Olwen M.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Premise Plants have evolved different ecological strategies in response to environmental challenges, and a higher lability of such strategies is more common in plant groups that adapt to various niches. Crassula (Crassulaceae), occurring in varied mesic to xeric habitats, exhibits a remarkable diversity of life-forms. However, whether any particular life-form trait has shaped species diversification in Crassula has remained unexplored. This study aims to investigate diversification patterns within Crassula and identify potential links to its life-form evolution. Methods A phylogenetic tree of 140 Crassula taxa was reconstructed using plastid and nuclear loci and dated based on the nuclear DNA information only. We reconstructed ancestral life-form characters to estimate the evolutionary trends of ecophysiological change, and subsequently estimated net diversification rates. Multiple diversification models were applied to examine the association between certain life-forms and net diversification rates. Results Our findings confirm a radiation within Crassula in the last 10 million years. A configuration of net diversification rate shifts was detected, which coincides with the emergence of a speciose lineage during the late Miocene. The results of ancestral state reconstruction demonstrate a high lability of life-forms in Crassula, and the trait-dependent diversification analyses revealed that the increased diversification is strongly associated with a compact growth form. Conclusions Transitions between life-forms in Crassula seem to have driven adaptation and shaped diversification of this genus across various habitats. The diversification patterns we inferred are similar to those observed in other major succulent lineages, with the most-speciose clades originating in the late Miocene.
AB - Premise Plants have evolved different ecological strategies in response to environmental challenges, and a higher lability of such strategies is more common in plant groups that adapt to various niches. Crassula (Crassulaceae), occurring in varied mesic to xeric habitats, exhibits a remarkable diversity of life-forms. However, whether any particular life-form trait has shaped species diversification in Crassula has remained unexplored. This study aims to investigate diversification patterns within Crassula and identify potential links to its life-form evolution. Methods A phylogenetic tree of 140 Crassula taxa was reconstructed using plastid and nuclear loci and dated based on the nuclear DNA information only. We reconstructed ancestral life-form characters to estimate the evolutionary trends of ecophysiological change, and subsequently estimated net diversification rates. Multiple diversification models were applied to examine the association between certain life-forms and net diversification rates. Results Our findings confirm a radiation within Crassula in the last 10 million years. A configuration of net diversification rate shifts was detected, which coincides with the emergence of a speciose lineage during the late Miocene. The results of ancestral state reconstruction demonstrate a high lability of life-forms in Crassula, and the trait-dependent diversification analyses revealed that the increased diversification is strongly associated with a compact growth form. Conclusions Transitions between life-forms in Crassula seem to have driven adaptation and shaped diversification of this genus across various habitats. The diversification patterns we inferred are similar to those observed in other major succulent lineages, with the most-speciose clades originating in the late Miocene.
KW - adaptive radiation
KW - character evolution
KW - Crassula
KW - Crassulaceae
KW - life form
KW - molecular phylogenetics
KW - succulent plants
KW - trait-dependent diversification
KW - TRAIT-DEPENDENT SPECIATION
KW - PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS
KW - ADAPTIVE RADIATION
KW - SPECIES RICHNESS
KW - MIDDLE MIOCENE
KW - CAPE FLORA
KW - RAPID DIVERSIFICATION
KW - LUPINUS LEGUMINOSAE
KW - NICHE EVOLUTION
KW - SUCCULENT KAROO
U2 - 10.1002/ajb2.1797
DO - 10.1002/ajb2.1797
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 34730230
VL - 109
SP - 272
EP - 290
JO - American Journal of Botany
JF - American Journal of Botany
SN - 0002-9122
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 291994472