Insights into the historical construction of species‐rich Mesoamerican seasonally dry tropical forests: the diversification of Bursera (Burseraceae, Sapindales)

Abstract

Summary Mesoamerican arid biomes epitomize neotropical rich and complex biodiversity. To document some of the macroevolutionary processes underlying the vast species richness of Mesoamerican seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs), and to evaluate specific predictions about the age, geographical structure and niche conservatism of SDTF‐centered woody plant lineages, the diversification of Bursera is reconstructed. Using a nearly complete Bursera species‐level phylogeny from nuclear and plastid genomic markers, we estimate divergence times, test for phylogenetic and temporal diversification heterogeneity, test for geographical structure, and reconstruct habitat shifts. Bursera became differentiated in the earliest Eocene, but diversified during independent early Miocene consecutive radiations that took place in SDTFs. The late Miocene average age of Bursera species, the presence of phylogenetic geographical structure, and its strong conservatism to SDTFs conform to expectations derived from South American SDTF‐centered lineages. The diversification of Bursera suggests that Mesoamerican SDTF richness derives from high speciation from the Miocene onwards uncoupled from habitat shifts, during a period of enhanced aridity resulting mainly from global cooling and regional rain shadows.

Linajes de angiospermas endémicas en México: zonas de alto endemismo para la conservación

“…In the Acanthaceae, nine genera and a clade within Ruellia are endemic to Mexico (Daniel, 1993;Tripp, 2010). In addition, among the more remarkable endemic groups of Mexico are clades of Bursera (Rzedowski et al, 2005;De-Nova et al, 2012), Agave and groups nested within this genus such as Manfreda, Polianthes and Prochnyanthes (García-Mendoza, 1995;Rocha et al, 2006, the section Physodium in Melochia (Dorr & Barret, 1989), a clade in the Zea diploperennis group (Poaceae) (Buckler & Holtsford, 1996), and a clade of Yucca within the Sarcocarpa group (Pellmyr et al, 2007). Fouquieria and Leucophyllum are arid land groups in Mega-Mexico (Henrickson & Flyr, 1985;Schultheis & Baldwin, 1999).…”

Eocene Bursera (Burseraceaea) in La Carroza Formation, Mexico: a dry tropical flora member

“…In both cases, wet and dry floras may coexist. Under this geobiological scenery, the expansion of dry tropical vegetation in Mexico may follow the affectation of physiography through time, resulting in the establishment of windward and leeward conditions along the East coast (compare with Becerra, 2005;De Nova et al 2012).…”

“…However, information from the fossil record provides direct evidence critical to hypotheses on the origin of the dry tropical forests of the world. This approach will allow the assessment of hypotheses based on the phylogenetic community structure or the neutral ecological theory of extant floras (Pennington et al, 2000(Pennington et al, , 2004(Pennington et al, , 2006a(Pennington et al, , 2006bBecerra, 2003Becerra, , 2005Schrire et al, 2005aSchrire et al, , 2005bSchrire et al, , 2009Antonelli et al, 2009;Antonelli and Sanmartín, 2011;Bartish et al, 2011, De Nova et al, 2012.…”

Estudio florístico de la cuenca baja del río Papagayo, Guerrero, México

“…Estas cifras ubican a Guerrero entre las cinco entidades de la república mexicana con mayor riqueza florística (Rzedowski, 1991;Mittermeier y Goettsch de Mittermeier, 1992;Toledo et al, 1997;Villaseñor, 2003). Algunas regiones en el estado son consideradas como centros de diversificación y endemismo de varios grupos de plantas como el género Bursera en el Cañón del Zopilote De-Nova et al, 2012) y los agaves en la región de la mixteca entre Guerrero y Oaxaca (Golubov et al, 2005). Sin embargo, la flora estatal no ha sido totalmente estudiada (Valencia-Ávalos et al, 2011), prueba de ello, es que en la actualidad se siguen describiendo nuevos taxones a nivel infra y supraespecífico (e. g., Jiménez y Martínez, 2000; Diego-Pérez y Calderón de Rzedowski, 2004).…”