Phylogeographic sampling guided by species distribution modeling reveals the Quaternary history of the Mediterranean–Canarian Cistus monspeliensis (Cistaceae)

Abstract

Accurate inference in phylogeography requires appropriate sampling strategies. Complex questions demand a large sample size at both the population and genetic levels to obtain precise reconstructions. This is the case of the phylogeographic history of Cistus monspeliensis, a plant that displays low plastid (cpDNA) diversity in the Mediterranean Basin but high diversity in the Canary Islands. Here, we aimed to identify Mediterranean refugial areas and to accurately quantify inter‐island colonization events in the Canaries. Using a previous study as starting point, we increased sample size in two ways: (i) additional sampling of plastid genetic markers (from 1041 to 1899 bp); and (ii) additional sampling of populations (from 47 to 69) in long‐term persistence areas suggested by species distribution modeling (SDM). The synergy between SDM and extended population sampling helped find higher genetic diversity. Our deeper phylogeographic sampling of C. monspeliensis revealed the following: (i) potential refugia in long‐term persistence areas with high cpDNA diversity in western Europe and the Canary Islands; and (ii) a significant increase (from 7 to 12) in the number of inferred inter‐island colonization events across the archipelago. Our results stress the usefulness of SDM to identify the genetic signature associated with potential refugial areas. We herein propose a field sampling approach based on SDM that, in combination with a larger cpDNA sampling, can help answer a wide array of phylogeographic questions, such as the location of Quaternary refugia and number of colonizations across archipelagos.

Iconic, threatened, but largely unknown: Biogeography of the Macaronesian dragon trees (Dracaena spp.) as inferred from plastid DNA markers

“…References: (1) García‐Verdugo & al., ; (2) García‐Verdugo & al., ; (3) Coello & al., ; (4) García‐Verdugo & al., ; (5) Mairal & al., ; (6) Sun & al., ; (7) Romeiras & al., ; (8) This study; (9) Romeiras & al., …”

“…) and the central position of Canarian haplotypes in the parsimony network (Fig. A) identified these island populations as ancestral, whereas the concentration of haplotype diversity (five haplotypes) within this area may be indicative of longer residence times than in the rest of the extant distribution range (Mairal & al., ; Coello & al., ).…”

“…Results of the AMOVA and PERMUT analysis considering haplotype composition of wild populations alone (Phylogeog-1 dataset) and wild + subspontaneous populations together (Phylogeog-2). as ancestral, whereas the concentration of haplotype diversity (five haplotypes) within this area may be indicative of longer residence times than in the rest of the extant distribution range Coello & al., 2020).…”

Phylogeography at the crossroad: Pleistocene range expansion throughout the Mediterranean and back‐colonization from the Canary Islands in the legume Bituminaria bituminosa

“…In this sense, species with widespread Macaronesian–Mediterranean distributions allow us to identify refuge areas and infer colonization routes in a broad spatial, and narrow temporal, context (Désamoré et al, 2011; Migliore et al, 2012; Rodríguez‐Sánchez et al, 2009). Unlike taxonomically diversified lineages or species‐poor lineages with narrow distributions (Sękiewicz et al, 2018; Vargas et al, 2018), widespread Mediterranean species probably attained their extant distributions quite recently, thus providing valuable insights into the processes shaping the recent (Quaternary) history of this hot spot area (Coello et al, 2020; Mousavi‐Derazmahalleh et al, 2018; Rodríguez‐Sánchez et al, 2009).…”

Ecological specialization promotes diversity and diversification in the East Mediterranean genusRicotia(Brassicaceae)

“…The Mediterranean region has long been the focal point of many phylogeographic studies mainly in regards to its role as a refugium for the preservation of genetic diversity throughout glacial advances (Médail & Diadema, 2009;Coello et al, 2020). However, much less attention has been given to the complex phylogeographic structures observed in this region and the myriad of processes that can lead to diversity across such varied topographies.…”