Plastid phylogenomics provides new insights into the systematics, diversification, and biogeography of Cymbidium (Orchidaceae)

Abstract

Cymbidium (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae), with around 60 species, is widely-distributed across Southeast Asia, providing a nice system for studying the processes that underlie patterns of biodiversity in the region. However, phylogenetic relationships of Cymbidium have not been well resolved, hampering investigations of species diversification and the biogeographical history of this genus. In this study, we construct a plastome phylogeny of 56 Cymbidium species, with four well-resolved major clades, which provides a framework for biogeographical and diversification rate analyses. Molecular dating and biogeographical analyses show that Cymbidium likely originated in the region spanning northern Indo-Burma to the eastern Himalayas during the early Miocene (∼21.10 Ma). It then rapidly diversified into four major clades in East Asia within approximately a million years during the middle Miocene. Cymbidium spp. migration to the adjacent regions (Borneo, Philippines, and Sulawesi) primarily occurred during the Pliocene-Pleistocene period. Our analyses indicate that the net diversification rate of Cymbidium has decreased since its origin, and is positively associated with changes in temperature and monsoon intensity. Favorable hydrothermal conditions brought by monsoon intensification in the early Miocene possibly contributed to the initial rapid diversification, after which the net diversification rate was reduced with the cooling climate after the middle Miocene. The transition from epiphytic to terrestrial habits may have enabled adaptation to cooler environments and colonization of northern niches, yet without a significant effect on diversification rates. This study provides new insights into how monsoon activity and temperature changes affected the diversification dynamics of plants in Southeast Asia.