Dispersal-vicariance Analysis Research Articles

The Neotropical endemic liverwort subfamily Micropterygioideae had circum-Antarctic links to the rest of the Lepidoziaceae during the early Cretaceous.

Lepidoziaceae are the third-largest family of liverworts, with about 860 species distributed on all continents. The evolutionary history of this family has not been satisfactorily resolved, with taxa such as Micropterygioideae yet to be included in phylogenetic analyses. We inferred a dated phylogeny of Lepidoziaceae using a data set consisting of 13 genetic markers, sampled from 147 species. Based on our phylogenetic estimate, we used statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis to reconstruct the biogeographic history of the family. We inferred a crown age of 197 Ma (95% credible interval 157-240 Ma) for the family in the Australian region, with most major lineages also originating in the same region. Micropterygioideae are placed as the sister group to Lembidioideae, with these two lineages diverging from each other about 132 Ma in the South American-Australian region. With South America and Australia being connected through Antarctica at the time, our results suggest a circum-Antarctic link between Micropterygioideae and the rest of the family. Crown Micropterygioideae were inferred to have arisen 45 Ma in South America before the continent separated from Antarctica. Extinction from southern temperate regions might explain the present-day restriction of Micropterygioideae to the Neotropics. Our study reveals the influence of past geological events, such as continental drift, on the evolution and distribution of a widespread and diverse family of liverworts.

The tribe Dysoniini part VI: Phylogeny, biogeography and evolutionary trends of the lichen katydid genera (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae). Eleventh contribution to the suprageneric organization of Neotropical phaneropterines.

The tribe Dysoniini is widely distributed in the Neotropics, ranging from northeastern Mexico across Central and South America to northern Argentina. In the latter subcontinent it is most diverse. These tettigoniids are remarkable for their lichen- and bryophyte-mimicking camouflage and for having a particularly elevated vertex, which is unusual in the family Phaneropterinae. A cladistic analysis for 23 terminal taxa has been performed (20 in the ingroup and 3 in the outgroup), using 76 morphological and ecological characters in order to prove monophyly of the following genera and tribes: Hammatoferina n. subtr. (including Hammatofera), Markiina n. subtr. (Machimoides (Machima (Apolinaria (Lichenodraculus + Markia)))) and Dysoniina n. stat. (Quiva (Yungasacris (Dissonulichen (Alexanderellus n. gen. (Paraphidnia + Anaphidna) (Dysonia (Lichenomorphus + Lichenodentix)))))). The tribes genera resulted as monophyletic, except for Dysonia sensu Gorochov, so it was necessary to revalidate generic status for Dissonulichen n. stat. to recover monophyly for Dysonia. The three aforementioned subtribes and a new subgenus Dissonulichospinus n. subgen. (within Dissonulichen n. stat.) are proposed, as well as five new combinations of species so far included in Dysonia: Alexanderellus mariposa n. comb., Dissonulichen diffusus n. comb., D. ornatus n. comb., D. elegans n. comb. and Lichenomorphus pirani n. comb. Four species names are considered as synonyms: Hammatofera brasiliensis n. syn. (under H. nodicornis), Dysonia similis n. syn. (under Dissonulichen minensis), Dysonia cuiabensis n. syn. (under Dissonulichen hebardi) and Lichenomorphus nigriventer n. syn. (under L. puntifrons). Dysonia lamellipes is considered a nomen dubium. Characters referring to camouflage, mimicry, and behaviors associated with these adaptative preferences were optimized. Optimizations for structural phylogenies were indicated on each of the optimized characters, displaying nodes in which the different optimizations by characters differ. Characters analyzed on the ambulatory behavior of the studied taxa are closely related to the type of mimicry or camouflage occurring in each group, so those taxa that camouflage in foliose lichen move in a slow, circumspect fashion, contrasting to taxa mimicking crustose or fruticose lichen, which simulate lichen parts stirred by a breeze. This most effective strategy makes them almost impossible to spot in their natural habitat. Likewise, species with wasp mimicry tend to show behaviors that make their imitation strategy more efficient. The ancestral state of the tribe is a phyllomorphic type (leaf camouflage) as is usual in most genera of the family Phaneropterinae. The appearance of camouflage and mimicry in the species of the tribe is discussed, and how these converge with taxa of other areas of the planet. The relationship between optimized characters is then grouped in the most parsimonious tree, indicating frequency and relation between taxa and characters. A biogeographic dispersal-vicariance analysis of the tribes genera indicates that the ancestral area is in the Brazilian Shield as the only resulting ancestral distribution, with a secondary center of radiation in the Andes. Four vicariant events are postulated: 1) The differentiation of some genera by the rising of the Andes, 2) forming a barrier between species groups of the genus Markia. 3) Expansion from the ancestral area towards the Amazon and 4) the Andes. Diagnoses and a pictorial key to the identification of all genera, plus conventional keys for identification of all species are provided, along with distribution maps. A list presents all taxa of the tribe within the proposed classification, including distribution data, depositories of type specimens, and additional comments.

A New Jurassic Kempynine Species With Notes on Historical Distributions of Kempyninae Integrated Both Fossil and Extant Taxa (Neuroptera: Osmylidae)

The extant kempynines, a strict “southern group,” are confined to South America and Australia, while their most fossil relatives are abundantly recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. This pattern of the biogeographic distribution implies the complicated evolutionary scenario of Kempyninae. Herein, a new northern species Arbusella platyptera Ma et Wang, sp. nov. is described from the Jiulongshan Formation in Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Additionally, a key to the extinct species and extant genera of Kempyninae is provided. Integrating all extant and most fossil genera of Kempyninae, we conducted phylogenetic analyses to explore the inner relationships of Kempyninae for the first time. The results corroborate the monophyly of Kempyninae and retrieve three clades within the subfamily, namely, two northern fossil genera (†Arbusellla + †Jurakempynus), constituting the basalmost clade and three other northern fossil genera (†Sauktangida + †Mirokempynus + †Ponomarenkius), forming a monophylic clade, which is sister to the third clade that includes all extant southern genera and the southern fossil genus of †Euporismites. Also, the extant kempynines were hypothesized to evolve independently from their northern Mesozoic relatives. The Dispersal-vicariance (DIVA) analysis revealed a northern and prepangean origin of Kempyninae, and the northern ancestral kempynines first colonized the Southern Hemisphere before the split of Pangea. Our results expose a more complicated evolutionary scenario of the insects with a long evolutionary history and provide new insights into the formation of distribution patterns in current relictual insects.

Ancestral Area Reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 Indicates Multiple Sources of Entry into Australia

Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). International travels to Australia during the early stages of the pandemic prior to border closure provided avenues for this virus to spread into Australia. Studies of SARS-CoV-2 biogeographical distribution can contribute to the understanding of the viral original sources to Australia. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clonality and ancestral sources of Australian SARS-CoV-2 isolates using phylogenetic methods. Methods: We retrieved 1,346 complete genomes from Australia along with 153 genomes from other countries from the GISAID and NCBI nucleotide databases as of the 14th May 2020. A representative dataset of 270 Australian and international sequences were resulted from performance of nucleotide redundancy reduction by CD-HIT. We then constructed a median-joining network by Network 10.1.0.0, and phylogenies by IQ-Tree, BEAST and FastTree. The Bayesian statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) and Bayesian interference for discrete areas (BayArea) built in RASP were used to reconstruct ancestral ranges over the phylogenetic trees. Results: Two major clusters, from Europe and from Asia, were observed on the network of 183 haplotypes with distinct nucleotide variations. Analysis of ancestral area reconstruction over the phylogenies indicated most Australian SARS-CoV-2 sequences were disseminated from Europe and East Asia-Southeast Asia. Conclusion: The finding is genetic evidence for the geographic origins of the Australian SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Most Australian sequences were genetically similar to those from Europe and East Asia-Southeast Asia, which were also suggested as two main sources of introduction of SARS-CoV-2 to Australia.

Vicariance and dispersal events inferred from mitochondrial genomes and nuclear genes (18S, 28S) shaped global Cryptocercus distributions

Cryptocercus Scudder, a genus of wingless, subsocial cockroaches, has low vagility but exhibits a disjunct distribution in eastern and western North America, and in China, South Korea and the Russian Far East. This distribution provides an ideal model for testing hypotheses of vicariance through plate tectonics or other natural barriers versus dispersal across oceans or other natural barriers. We sequenced 45 samples of Cryptocercus to resolve phylogenetic relationships among members of the genus worldwide. We identified four types of tRNA rearrangements among samples from the Qin-Daba Mountains. Our maximum-likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic trees, based on mitochondrial genomes and nuclear genes (18S, 28S), strongly supported six major lineages of Cryptocercus, which displayed a clear geographical distribution pattern. We used Bayesian molecular dating to estimate the evolutionary timescale of the genus, and reconstructed Cryptocercus ancestral ranges using statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) in RASP. Two dispersal events and six vicariance events for Cryptocercus were inferred with high support. The initial vicariance event occurred between American and Asian lineages at 80.5 Ma (95% credibility interval: 60.0–104.7 Ma), followed by one vicariance event within the American lineage 43.8 Ma (95% CI: 32.0–57.5 Ma), and two dispersal 31.9 Ma (95% CI: 25.8–39.5 Ma), 21.7 Ma (95% CI: 17.3–27.1 Ma) plus four vicariance events c. 29.3 Ma, 27.2 Ma, 24.8 Ma and 16.7 Ma within the Asian lineage. Our analyses provide evidence that both vicariance and dispersal have played important roles in shaping the distribution and diversity of these woodroaches.

A closer look at the migration and diversification of the false foxgloves (genus: Agalinis; family: Orobanchaceae) in temperate North America

The genus Agalinis (commonly known as the “false foxgloves”) belonging to the family Orobanchaceae, is native to the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 40 species are distributed across temperate North America, and a large group is native to Missouri and the Midwestern United States. Twenty-one species of this genus warrant conservation measures. Our main aims were to understand the migration and diversification of temperate North American Agalinis, as well as focusing on the six species native to the state of Missouri. This study is the first to investigate the evolutionary diversification of this genus in temperate North America. Computer applications including BEAST (Bayesian evolutionary analysis sampling trees) and SDIVA (statistical dispersal vicariance analysis), and secondary calibrations from previous studies were implemented to understand the diversification timings and ancestral areas of this group. Our study points to southeastern United States as the center of diversity and place of origin of the Agalinis in temperate North America, from which they spread to the rest of the United States and even migrated to Canada, around the mid-late Miocene period. We were also able to trace the biogeography of the Missouri natives which diversified between the late Miocene and the Pleistocene period. It may be hypothesized that climatic shifts and increase in seasonality during the mid-late Miocene period was one of the primary causes leading to the migration and diversification of this genus throughout temperate North America.

Genetic diversity of Rhinogobius delicatus (Perciformes: Gobiidae): origins of the freshwater fish in East Taiwan

Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and d-loop sequences (1,984 bp) from 92 specimens of the freshwater goby Rhinogobius delicatus from seven drainages in East Taiwan were identified as two major lineages exhibiting a southern or northern distribution. The existence of low genetic diversity, a pattern of population decline and high population differentiation (F ST=0.711) support the need for the development of management strategies for the conservation of localized populations. The results of a statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis suggested that the ancestral populations of R. delicatus were widely distributed in East Taiwan. Compared with the phylogeographic patterns of the other endemic eastern Taiwan freshwater fishes, Onychostoma alticorpus, Aphyocypris kikuckii and Hemimyzon taitungensis, our study suggests that the freshwater fishes colonized East Taiwan through northeastern and southwestern Taiwan, although the ancestral populations colonized the island before it reached its present shape.

Differential geographical and ecological dynamics allow diversification of morphologically convergent giant bromeliads in the Atlantic Forest

AbstractAimWe investigate the evolutionary mechanisms that allow morphologically convergent lineages to share the same geographical space. We compared the evolutionary events that occurred along the diversification of Karawata and Aechmea subgen. Chevaliera in the Atlantic Forest by (a) verifying whether the climatic niches and habitats of Karawata and Chevaliera are similar; (b) testing whether the two groups had the same pattern of colonization in the Atlantic Forest; and (c) evaluating whether they had the same evolutionary dynamics of environmental space occupation.LocationBrazilian Atlantic ForestTaxonKarawata and Aechmea subgen. Chevaliera (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae)MethodsWe explored differences in evolutionary dynamics between Karawata and Chevaliera by (a) analyzing their divergence times using Bayesian inference with a relaxed molecular clock; (b) estimating ancestral ranges and habitats with Dispersion Extinction Cladogenesis Lagrange and Statistical Dispersal Vicariance analyses; (c) testing climatic niche similarity, equivalency and overlap using principal component analysis; and, (d) evaluating shifts in speciation dynamics using Bayesian Analysis of Macroevolutionary Mixtures.ResultsKarawata and Chevaliera most likely originated in the Pliocene and diversified during the Pleistocene. The two clades originated in ombrophilous forests and shared a similar environmental space. However, Karawata and Chevaliera show different dynamics in the occupation of geographical and environmental spaces.Main ConclusionsOur results suggest that the São Francisco and Jequitinhonha Rivers acted as geographical barriers for Karawata and Chevaliera. Differences in spatial and environmental evolutionary dynamics have allowed the two groups to occupy similar habitats as well as environmental and geographical spaces in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Genetic diversity and structure of the Chinese lake gudgeon (Sarcocheilichthys sinensis)

Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and d-loop sequences (2,137 bp) in 65 specimens of Sarcocheilichthys sinensis from five populations were identified as two lineages (I and II). The pairwise genetic distance between lineages I and II was 1.94%. SAMOVA analyses suggested that the best grouping occurred at three groups, Yangtze, Qiantang and Minjiang Rivers. High haplotype diversity (0.949) and low nucleotide diversity (θ π = 1.067%) were detected. The results of the neutrality tests, mismatch distribution and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) did not support demographic expansions. The results of phylogenetic analysis, statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA), ABC, MIGRATE-N and the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) indicated two colonization routes. First, before the Wuyi Mountains lifted, S. sinensis dispersed from the Yangtze River to the Minjiang River. Second, during glaciation, the continental shelf was exposed, which contributed to the dispersion of populations from the Yangtze River.

Vastly underestimated species richness of Amazonian salamanders (Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) and implications about plethodontid diversification

We present data showing that the number of salamander species in Amazonia is vastly underestimated. We used DNA sequences of up to five genes (3 mitochondrial and 2 nuclear) of 366 specimens, 189 corresponding to 89 non-Amazonian nominal species and 177 Amazonian specimens, including types or topotypes, of eight of the nine recognized species in the region. By including representatives of all known species of Amazonian Bolitoglossa, except for one, and 73% of the currently 132 recognized species of the genus, our dataset represents the broadest sample of Bolitoglossa species, specimens, and geographic localities studied to date. We performed phylogenetic analyses using parsimony with tree-alignment and maximum likelihood (ML) with similarity alignment, with indels as binary characters. Our optimal topologies were used to delimit lineages that we assigned to nominal species and candidate new species following criteria that maximize the consilience of the current species taxonomy, monophyly, gaps in branch lengths, genetic distances, and geographic distribution. We contrasted the results of our species-delimitation protocol with those of Automated Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) and multi-rate Poisson Tree Processes (mPTP). Finally, we inferred the historical biogeography of South American salamanders by dating the trees and using dispersal-vicariance analysis (DIVA). Our results revealed a clade including almost all Amazonian salamanders, with a topology incompatible with just the currently recognized nine species. Following our species-delimitation criteria, we identified 44 putative species in Amazonia. Both ABGD and mPTP inferred more species than currently recognized, but their numbers (23–49) and limits vary. Our biogeographic analysis suggested a stepping-stone colonization of the Amazonian lowlands from Central America through the Chocó and the Andes, with several late dispersals from Amazonia back into the Andes. These biogeographic events are temporally concordant with an early land bridge between Central and South America (~10–15 MYA) and major landscape changes in Amazonia during the late Miocene and Pliocene, such as the drainage of the Pebas system, the establishment of the Amazon River, and the major orogeny of the northern Andes.

Pliocene colonization of the Mediterranean by Great White Shark inferred from fossil records, historical jaws, phylogeographic and divergence time analyses

AbstractAimDetermine the evolutionary origin of the heretofore poorly characterized contemporary Great White Shark (GWS; Carcharodon carcharias) of the Mediterranean Sea, using phylogenetic and dispersal vicariance analyses to trace back its global palaeo‐migration pattern.LocationMediterranean Sea.TaxonCarcharodon carcharias.MethodsWe have built the largest mitochondrial DNA control region (CR) sequence dataset for the Mediterranean GWS from referenced historical jaws spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Mediterranean and global GWS CR sequences were analysed for genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships and divergence time. A Bayes factor approach was used to assess two scenarios of GWS lineage divergence and emergence of the Mediterranean GWS line using fossil records and palaeo‐geographical events for calibration of the molecular clock.ResultsThe results confirmed a closer evolutionary relationship between Mediterranean GWS and populations from Australia–New Zealand and the North‐eastern Pacific coast rather than populations from South African and North‐western Atlantic. The Mediterranean GWS lineage showed the lowest genetic diversity at the global level, indicating its recent evolutionary origin. An evaluation of various divergence scenarios determined the Mediterranean GWS lineage most likely appeared some 3.23 million years ago by way dispersal/vicariance from Australian/Pacific palaeo‐populations.Main conclusionBased on the fossil records, phylogeographic patterns and divergence time, we revealed that the Mediterranean GWS population originated in the Pliocene following the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Colonization of the Mediterranean by GWS likely occurred via an eastward palaeo‐migration of Australian/eastern Pacific elements through the Central American Seaway, before the complete closure of the Isthmus of Panama. This Pliocene origin scenario contrasts with a previously proposed scenario in which Australian GWS colonized the Mediterranean via antipodean northward migration resulting from navigational errors from South Africa during Quaternary climatic oscillations.

Historical biogeography of Trigonostemon and Dimorphocalyx (Euphorbiaceae)

AbstractTrigonostemon and Dimorphocalyx are two morphologically similar genera in tropical Asia. We estimated their divergence times through a Bayesian clock analysis and reconstructed the historical biogeography using a likelihood analysis under the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model and a statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA). We have found that the two genera differ in their historical biogeography: Trigonostemon originated on the South-East Asian mainland, but one section dispersed to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, where rapid speciation events occurred during the Pleistocene, whereas Dimorphocalyx originated on and extended to its current distribution from Borneo. The dispersal routes of both genera are well supported by the tectonic history and are comparable to the conclusions in previous case studies. Long-distance dispersals across Wallace’s line are of particular interest in biogeography. We compared the patterns of historical distribution and dispersal of our taxa and other comparable taxa in this area. Our data support the hypothesis that the Philippines is the most common stepping stone for crossing Wallace’s line. Furthermore, we consider that the frequent change of sea levels during the Pleistocene propelled the diversification of Trigonostemon section Trigonostemon in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.

Population structure of Aphyocypris normalis: phylogeography and systematics.

Aphyocypris normalis (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) is an endemic species in South China, but little is known about its genetic structure. This study examined the population structure of A. normalis using sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene (2,086 bp). In total, 107 specimens were collected from nine populations. All 105 mtDNA haplotypes were identified as belonging to two allopatric phylogroups. The results of a statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) suggested that the ancestral populations of A. normalis were distributed widely on Hainan Island and east of the Leizhou Peninsula. A comparison of the fixation indices NST (0.532) and GST (0.004) revealed that the phylogeny and geography had a significant relationship. Our study found that (1) the Wuzhishan and Yinggeling Mountain Range was an important barrier limiting gene exchange between populations on both sides; (2) cyclic climate changes may have shaped migrations and population differentiations; and (3) different colonization times caused different population diversities between codistributed species. In addition, the inter- and intraspecific diversities of the genus Aphyocypris were estimated.

Rapid ecological specialization despite constant population sizes.

BackgroundThe bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, is a widespread and ecologically diverse ungulate species complex within the spiral-horned antelopes. This species was recently found to consist of two genetically divergent but monophyletic lineages, which are paraphyletic at mitochondrial (mt)DNA owing to an ancient interspecific hybridization event. The Scriptus lineage (T. s. scriptus) inhabits the north-western half of the African continent while Sylvaticus (T. s. sylvaticus) is found in the south-eastern half. Here we test hypotheses of historical demography and adaptation in bushbuck using a higher-resolution framework, with four nuclear (MGF, PRKCI, SPTBN, and THY) and three new mitochondrial markers (cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA).MethodsGenealogies were reconstructed for the mitochondrial and nuclear data sets, with the latter dated using fossil calibration points. We also inferred the demographic history of Scriptus and Sylvaticus using coalescent-based methods. To obtain an overview of the origins and ancestral colonisation routes of ancestral bushbuck sequences across geographic space, we conducted discrete Bayesian phylogeographic and statistical dispersal-vicariance analyses on our nuclear DNA data set.ResultsBoth nuclear DNA and mtDNA support previous findings of two genetically divergent Sylvaticus and Scriptus lineages. The three mtDNA loci confirmed 15 of the previously defined haplogroups, including those with convergent phenotypes. However, the nuclear tree showed less phylogenetic resolution at the more derived parts of the genealogy, possibly due to incomplete lineage sorting of the slower evolving nuclear genome. The only exception to this was the montane Menelik’s bushbuck (Sylvaticus) of the Ethiopian highlands, which formed a monophyletic group at three of four nuclear DNA loci. We dated the coalescence of the two lineages to a common ancestor ∼2.54 million years ago. Both marker sets revealed similar demographic histories of constant population size over time. We show that the bushbuck likely originated in East Africa, with Scriptus dispersing to colonise suitable habitats west of the African Rift and Sylvaticus radiating from east of the Rift into southern Africa via a series of mainly vicariance events.DiscussionDespite lower levels of genetic structure at nuclear loci, we confirmed the independent evolution of the Menelik’s bushbuck relative to the phenotypically similar montane bushbuck in East Africa, adding further weight to previous suggestions of convergent evolution within the bushbuck complex. Perhaps the most surprising result of our analysis was that both Scriptus and Sylvaticus populations remained relatively constant throughout the Pleistocene, which is remarkable given that this was a period of major climatic and tectonic change in Africa, and responsible for driving the evolution of much of the continent’s extant large mammalian diversity.

Biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of Hyrcanian wild apple using cpDNA and ITS noncoding sequences

The Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran is considered one of the potential centres for the evolution and domestication of the genus Malus (Rosaceae). However, the biogeography, phylogenetic position, and taxonomic status of the Hyrcanian wild apples have never been evaluated. In our study, the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the trnH-psbA intergenic spacer region from 14 natural populations were analysed. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS and the Maximum-likelihood (ML) tree showed that all Hyrcanian samples were closely related to M. orientalis and M. asiatica and can be placed within section Malus and series Malus. Furthermore, based on a comparison of ITS2 secondary structures, the Hyrcanian samples were identical to M. orientalis and M. sieversii. Biogeographic scenarios constructed using Statistical Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA) and the Bayesian Binary Method (BBM) indicated that the ancestor of Malus originated during the Eocene, ∼53 million years ago (Ma), and that China played a vital role in the expansion of the range of the genus. The members of Malus colonized the Hyrcanian region from China during the Miocene, ∼22-10 Ma.

Molecular Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of the Butterfly Tribe Aeromachini Tutt (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from China.

The butterfly tribe Aeromachini Tutt, 1906 is a large group of skippers. In this study, a total of 10 genera and 45 species of putative members of this tribe, which represent most of the generic diversity and nearly all the species diversity of the group in China, were sequenced for two mitochondrial genes and three nuclear genes (2093 bp). The combined dataset was analyzed with maximum likelihood inference using IQtree. We found strong support for monophyly of Aeromachini from China and support for the most recent accepted species in the tribe. Two paraphyletic genera within Aeromachini are presented and discussed. The divergence time estimates with BEAST and ancestral-area reconstructions with RASP provide a detailed description about the historical biogeography of the Aeromachini from China. The tribe very likely originated from the Hengduan Mountains in the late Ecocene and expanded to the Himalaya Mountains and Central China Regions. A dispersal-vicariance analysis suggests that dispersal events have played essential roles in the distribution of extant species, and geological and climatic changes have been important factors driving current distribution patterns.

Relationships between Tertiary relict and circumboreal woodland floras: a case study in Chimaphila (Ericaceae).

Tertiary relict and Arctic/circumboreal distributions are two major patterns of Northern Hemisphere intercontinental disjunctions with very different histories. Each has been well researched, but members of one biome have generally not been incorporated in the biogeographical analyses of the other, and links or transitions between these two biomes have rarely been addressed. Phylogenies of Chimaphila were generated based on cpDNA and nuclear ITS, using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods. A time-calibrated phylogeny was generated using BEAST. Ancestral area reconstruction was inferred using both statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis and a dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model. The Chimaphila crown group was estimated to have originated in the early Miocene. The lineages of C. umbellata diverged early, but its present circumboreal distribution was not achieved until around the middle Pliocene or later. Sister to this is a clade of four species with Tertiary relict distribution. Among these, two expansions occurred from North America to Asia, probably via the Bering Land Bridge, generating its current disjunctions. Our data concur with a few other studies, indicating that the circumboreal woodland biome has an older origin than most true Arctic-alpine taxa, having gradually recruited taxa since the early Oligocene. For the origin of Asia-North America disjunctions in Chimaphila, an 'out-of-America' migration was supported. It is not clear in which direction Pyroloideae lineages moved between Tertiary relict disjunctions and Arctic/circumboreal distributions; each biome might have recruited species from the other.

Genetic diversity and biogeography of T. officinale inferred from multi locus sequence typing approach.

Taraxacum officinale (Asteraceae) is widely distributed weedy plant used as a traditional medicinal herb. The population genetics and historical biogeography of this plant have remained relatively unexplored. This study explores phylogeny, population genetics and ancestral reconstructions adopting multi locus sequence typing (MLST) approach. MLST sequences dataset was generated from genomics and chloroplast DNA sequences obtained from 31 T. officinale haplotypes located in 16 different countries. Phylogenetic analysis distributed these haplotypes in well differentiated geographic clades. The study suggested a close relationship between Europe and adjacent Asian countries. Populations of these regions predominantly formed common haplogroups, showed considerable level of gene flow and evidence for recombination events across European and Asian population. Biogeographical inferences obtained by applying statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) and Bayesian binary MCMC (BBM) analysis showed that T. officinale was putatively originated in Europe. Molecular clock analysis based on ITS dataset suggested that the divergence between Europe and East Asian populations can be dated to 1.07 Mya with subsequent dispersal and vicariance events. Among different spatial process long distance seed dispersal mediated by wind had potentially assisted the population expansion of T. officinale.

But they move! Vicariance and dispersal in southern South America: Using two methods to reconstruct the biogeography of a clade of lizards endemic to South America.

This study aims to identify events that modeled the historical biogeography of Phymaturus, using three methodologies: Spatial Analysis of Vicariance (VIP), Statistical Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA), and Bayesian Binary Method MCMC (BBM). In order to assign areas for the Dispersal-Vicariance and the BBM analyses, we preferred not to use predefined areas, but to identify areas defined via an endemism analysis of Phymaturus species. The analyses were conducted using the same basic topology, which we obtained by constructing a metatree with two recent phylogenies, both morphology and molecular-based. This topology was also used to obtain time divergence estimates in BEAST, using more outgroups than for the metatree in order to get more accurate estimates. The S-DIVA analysis based on the metatree found 25 vicariance events, 20 dispersals and two extinctions; the S-DIVA analysis based on the BEAST tree yielded 30 vicariance events, 42 dispersal events and five extinctions, and the BBM analysis yielded 63 dispersal events, 28 vicariance events and 1 extinction event. According to the metatree analysis, the ancestral area for Phymaturus covers northern Payunia and southern Central Monte. A vicariant event fragmented the ancestral distribution of the genus, resulting in northern Payunia and southern Central Monte as ancestral area for the P. palluma group, and southern Payunia for the P. patagonicus group. The analysis based on the BEAST tree showed a more complex reconstruction, with several dispersal and extinction events in the ancestral node. The Spatial Analysis of Vicariance identified 41 disjunct sister nodes and removed 10 nodes. The barrier that separates the P. palluma group from the P. patagonicus group is roughly congruent with the southern limit of the P. palluma group. The ancestral range for the genus occupies a central position relative to the distribution of the group, which implies that the species must have migrated to the north (P. palluma group) and to the south (P. patagonicus group). To answer questions related to the specific timing of the events, a molecular clock for Phymaturus was obtained, using a Liolaemus fossil for calibration. The present contribution provides a hypothetical framework for the events that modeled the distribution of Phymaturus.

Igdabatis marmii sp. nov. (Myliobatiformes) from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of north-eastern Spain: an Ibero-Armorican origin for a Gondwanan batoid

Microvertebrate fossil assemblages (chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, lissamphibians and squamates) from the Campanian and Maastrichtian of south-western Europe include taxa with very different palaeobiogeographical affinities. However, most of these biogeographical histories remain unclear. As inhabitants of shallow marine waters, batoids are considered good palaeobiogeographical indicators that could reveal connections between continental platforms. Igdabatis is a stingray (Myliobatiformes) with an abundant Gondwanan fossil record, whereas its occurrence in the Ibero-Armorican landmass is intriguing. In this paper, a new species of Igdabatis – Igdabatis marmii sp. nov. – is reported from the lower Maastrichtian of Spain. Based on this new record, the phylogenetic relationships of Myliobatiformes are assessed, including Igdabatis taxa for first time. In addition, three new morphological characters are proposed based on the diagnoses of the different species and added to the dataset. The palaeobiogeographical events that these stingrays underwent during their speciation were explored through a Statistical Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA) performed in RASP 2.1. The phylogenetic analysis suggests a highly nested position within Myliobatidae for the genus Igdabatis; and the new species was recovered as the most basal taxon in the clade. The S-DIVA results point to an Ibero-Armorican ancestral area for Igdabatis, from where its species diverged by a combination of vicariant and dispersal events. Both phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographical analyses were congruent with occurrences in the fossil record. Results and fossil evidence allow the proposal of a dispersal route between European and Gondwanan landmasses for these stingrays. The dispersal of Igdabatis between Ibero-Armorica and India during the Late Cretaceous was promoted by the proximity of the European and African continental platforms and then by the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F5C51029-2E26-48C6-8A87-A2D4310887EF