The role of Pleistocene dispersal in shaping species richness of sky island wintergreens from the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains.
Mol Phylogenet Evol
; 197: 108082, 2024 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38705251
ABSTRACT
In addition to topography and climate, biogeographic dispersal has been considered to influence plant diversity in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHM), yet, the mode and tempo of sky island dispersal and its influence on species richness has been little explored. Through phylogenetic analysis of Gaultheria ser. Trichophyllae, a sky island alpine clade within the HHM, we test the hypothesis that dispersal has affected current local species richness. We inferred the dynamics of biogeographic dispersal with correlation tests on direction, distance, occurrence time, and regional species richness. We found that G. ser. Trichophyllae originated at the end of the Miocene and mostly dispersed toward higher longitudes (eastward). In particular, shorter intra-regional eastward dispersals and longer inter-regional westward dispersals were most frequently observed. We detected a prevalence of eastward intra-region dispersals in both glacial periods and interglacials. These dispersals may have been facilitated by the reorganization of paleo-drainages and monsoon intensification through time. We suggest that the timing of dispersal corresponding to glacial periods and the prevalence of intra-region dispersal, rather than dispersal frequency, most influenced the pattern of species richness of G. ser. Trichophyllae. This study facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity in the sky islands within the HHM.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Phylogeny
/
Biodiversity
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Mol Phylogenet Evol
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
/
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
Year:
2024
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China