A dated phylogeny of Lardizabalaceae reveals an unusual long‐distance dispersal across the Pacific Ocean and the rapid rise of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests in the late Miocene

Abstract

Temperate South American-Asian disjunct distributions are the most unusual in organisms, and challenging to explain. Here, we address the origin of this unusual disjunction in Lardizabalaceae using explicit models and molecular data. The family (c.40 species distributed in ten genera) also provides an opportunity to explore the historical assembly of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests, a typical and luxuriant vegetation in East Asia. DNA sequences of five plastid loci of 42 accessions representing 23 species of Lardizabalaceae (c. 57.5% of estimated species diversity), and 19 species from the six other families of Ranunculales, were used to perform phylogenetic analyses. By dating the branching events and reconstructing ancestral ranges, we infer that extant Lardizabalaceae dated to the Upper Cretaceous of East Asia and that the temperate South American lineage might have split from its East Asian sister group at c. 24.4 Ma. A trans-Pacific dispersal possibly by birds from East Asia to South America is plausible to explain the establishment of the temperate South American-East Asian disjunction in Lardizabalaceae. Diversification rate analyses indicate that net diversification rates of Lardizabalaceae experienced a significant increase around c. 7.5 Ma. Our findings suggest that the rapid rise of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests occurred in the late Miocene, associated with the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the intensified East Asian monsoon, as well as the higher winter temperature and atmospheric CO 2 levels.

Dissection of full-length transcriptome and metabolome of Dichocarpum (Ranunculaceae): implications in evolution of specialized metabolism of Ranunculales medicinal plants

“…Based on a synonymous substitution rate (r) of 6.98 per billion years ( Guo et al, 2018 ) and T = K s /2r, the time (T) for the duplication would be in the range of 12.2–21.1 (average) and 9.36–23.3 (median) MYA, respectively. Thus, the segmental duplication and/or WGD event of Dichocarpum might occur in Miocene, when there was the rapid rise of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests, and sympatric Berberidaceae/Lardizabalaceae underwent the biogeographic diversification ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ). The gene families involved in the BIA biosynthesis and transport went through recent rapid expansion in Dichocarpum and probably related genera ( Fig.…”

“…Eupteleaceae is the earliest-diverging lineage, followed by Papaveraceae and core Ranunculales that includes five families ( Wang et al, 2009 ). Circaeasteraceae and Lardizabalaceae are closer and basal to Menispermaceae ( Lian et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ), which is basal to Berberidaceae and Ranunculaceae ( Chen et al, 2020 ). These families are rich in medicinal compounds ( Hao et al, 2015a ), especially alkaloids with versatile therapeutic activities.…”

Molecular Phylogeny, Character Evolution, and Biogeography of Hydrangea Section Cornidia, Hydrangeaceae

“…Our ancestral area reconstruction results and the fact that Hydrangea species have dust-like diaspores that could be dispersed by wind, water, or on animal bodies (Armesto and Rozzi, 1989 ; Hufford, 1995 ) suggest that the ancestor of the section arrived in the New World by long-distance dispersal from Asia. In contrast to the well-known North American—East Asian disjunction (e.g., Graham, 1972 ; Axelrod, 1975 ; Cracraft, 1975 ; Donoghue et al, 2001 ; Wen et al, 2010 ; González et al, 2014 ; Feng et al, 2020 ), the unusual Asian/Central- and Mesoamerican—South American disjunction, which is not including eastern North America, is less well-known in plants and has only been investigated recently (Wang et al, 2020 ; Zhu et al, 2020 ; Yao et al, 2021 ). These authors, respectively, in Lardizabalaceae, Celastrus (Celastraceae), and Ilex (Aquifoliaceae), hypothesize an eastern Asian origin of the taxon studied, followed by one or more long-distance dispersal events to Central and South America (and in the case of Celastrus also to other continents), showing this pattern to be more common than previously assumed, thus strengthening our own hypothesis.…”

Peer Review #1 of "Dissection of full-length transcriptome and metabolome of Dichocarpum (Ranunculaceae): implications in evolution of specialized metabolism of Ranunculales medicinal plants (v0.1)"

“…Eupteleaceae is the earliestdiverging lineage, followed by Papaveraceae and core Ranunculales that includes five families (Wang et al, 2009). Circaeasteraceae and Lardizabalaceae are closer and basal to Menispermaceae (Lian et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020), which is basal to Berberidaceae and Ranunculaceae . These families are rich in medicinal compounds (Hao et al, 2015a), especially alkaloids with versatile therapeutic activities.…”

“…Based on a synonymous substitution rate (r) of 6.98 per billion years (Guo et al, 2018) and T = K s /2r, the time (T) for the duplication would be in the range of 12.2-21.1 (average) and 9.36-23.3 (median) MYA, respectively. Thus, the segmental duplication and/or WGD event of Dichocarpum might occur in Miocene, when there was the rapid rise of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests, and sympatric Berberidaceae/Lardizabalaceae underwent the biogeographic diversification (Chen et al, 2020; Wang et al, 2020). The gene families involved in the BIA biosynthesis and transport went through recent rapid expansion in Dichocarpum and probably related genera (Fig.…”