Biogeography and ecological niche evolution in Diapensiaceae inferred from phylogenetic analysis
Citation
Gaynor M L, Fu C, Gao L, Lu L, Soltis D E, Soltis P S. Biogeography and ecological niche evolution in Diapensiaceae inferred from phylogenetic analysis. Florida Museum of Natural History. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/m7ba4p accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-11-19.Description
Diapensiaceae (Ericales) are a small family of about 15 species. Within this clade, two species are broadly distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, whereas the remaining species have a disjunct distribution between eastern North America and eastern Asia. To address patterns and processes of diversification in Diapensiaceae, we conducted biogeographic analyses and inferred shifts in the ecological niche across the phylogeny of the clade. Although Diapensiaceae have been the focus of multiple phylogenetic and biogeographic studies, previous studies have been taxonomically limited. This study has greatly improved the phylogenetic underpinning for Diapensiaceae with the most inclusive taxonomic sampling thus far, employing both nuclear and plastid gene sequence data for at least one sample per species in the family. Our estimates indicate that genera of Diapensiaceae variously diverged in the Eocene, Oligocene, and early to mid-Miocene. The biogeographic analysis suggests that the probable ancestor of the Diapensiaceae crown clade originated in the Nearctic, with vicariance events contributing to the current distribution of the disjunct taxa. Ecological niche, when considered in a phylogenetic context, was observed to be clustered on the basis of biogeographic realm. In general, a greater ecological overlap was found at younger nodes and a greater niche divergence was found among distantly related species. Diversification in Diapensiaceae appears to have been shaped by both large-scale biogeographic factors, such as vicariance, and divergence in an ecological niche among closely related species.Taxonomic Coverages
Geographic Coverages
Bibliographic Citations
- Gaynor, M.L., Fu, C.-N., Gao, L.-M., Lu, L.-M., Soltis, D.E. and Soltis, P.S. (2020), Biogeography and ecological niche evolution in Diapensiaceae inferred from phylogenetic analysis. Jnl of Sytematics Evolution, 58: 646-662. - DOI:10.1111/jse.12646
Contacts
Michelle L. Gaynororiginator
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
US
email: michellegaynor@ufl.edu
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3912-6079
Chao-Nan Fu
originator
CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
CN
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7567-2686
Lian-Ming Gao
originator
CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
CN
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9047-2658
Li-Min Lu
originator
State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
CN
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6973-7877
Douglas E. Soltis
originator
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
US
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-4137
Pamela S. Soltis
originator
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
US
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9310-8659