Evolutionary radiations in the species-rich mountain genus Saxifraga L.

J. Ebersbach,J. Schnitzler,A.N. Muellner-Riehl,A. Favre

doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0967-2

Abstract

BackgroundA large number of taxa have undergone evolutionary radiations in mountainous areas, rendering alpine systems particularly suitable to study the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that have shaped diversification patterns in plants. The species-rich genus Saxifraga L. is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with high species numbers in the regions adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in particular the Hengduan Mountains and the Himalayas. Using a dataset of 297 taxa (representing at least 60% of extant Saxifraga species), we explored the variation of infrageneric diversification rates. In addition, we used state-dependent speciation and extinction models to test the effects of geographic distribution in the Hengduan Mountains and the entire QTP region as well as of two morphological traits (cushion habit and specialized lime-secreting glands, so-called hydathodes) on the diversification of this genus.ResultsWe detected two to three rate shifts across the Saxifraga phylogeny and two of these shifts led to radiations within two large subclades of Saxifraga, sect. Ciliatae Haworth subsect. Hirculoideae Engl. & Irmsch. and sect. Porphyrion Tausch subsect. Kabschia Engl. GEOSSE analyses showed that presence in the Hengduan Mountains had a positive effect on diversification across Saxifraga. Influence of these mountains was strongest in Saxifraga sect. Ciliatae subsect. Hirculoideae given its pronounced distribution there, and thus the radiation in this group can be classified at least partially as geographic. In contrast, the evolution of the cushion life form and lime-secreting hydathodes had positive effects on diversification only in selected Saxifraga sections, including sect. Porphyrion subsect. Kabschia. We therefore argue that radiation in this group was likely adaptive.ConclusionsOur study underlines the complexity of processes and factors underpinning plant radiations: Even in closely related lineages occupying the same life zone, shifts in diversification are not necessarily governed by similar factors. In conclusion, alpine plant radiations result from a complex interaction among geographical settings and/or climatic modifications providing key opportunities for diversification as well as the evolution of key innovations.

Highlights

A large number of taxa have undergone evolutionary radiations in mountainous areas, rendering alpine systems suitable to study the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that have shaped diversification patterns in plants
Diversification rate patterns in Saxifraga Independent of prior choice and assumed total species numbers, BAMM identified two to three rate shifts within Saxifraga (Fig. 1, Additional file 1). Two of these shifts were consistently placed within the same Saxifraga clades across all analyses
This clade is the largest subclade of the species-rich section Ciliatae, which originated and radiated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) region [31,32,33]

Summary

Introduction

A large number of taxa have undergone evolutionary radiations in mountainous areas, rendering alpine systems suitable to study the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that have shaped diversification patterns in plants. Large numbers of evolutionary radiations have been recorded in alpine plant groups [3], and references therein, contributing to the high species diversity of vascular plants found in many mountain systems [4, 5]. Speciation and uplift usually occur on different time scales, and Ebersbach et al BMC Evolutionary Biology (2017) 17:119 many mountain plant taxa have diversified long after the uplift of their respective mountain range was initiated, as shown for the species-rich areas surrounding the QinghaiTibet Plateau (QTP), [14, 15] and elsewhere [3]. Several authors have demonstrated the importance of local or global climate modifications for alpine plant radiations [16, 17]

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