Phylogeography and ecological niche modelling inEugenia uniflora(Myrtaceae) suggest distinct vegetational responses to climate change between the southern and the northern Atlantic Forest

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate phylogeographic patterns and predictions of ecological niche modelling (ENM) for Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae), a widely distributed taxon in the Atlantic forest domain, to understand the effect of past climatic oscillations on the demographic history of this species. An analysis of phylogeographic population structure and demography was conducted on E. uniflora from 46 localities in natural environments across the distribution range of the species based on three plastid markers. ENM was also performed to predict suitable environments and areas of dramatic decrease in future suitability for the species under distinct representative concentration pathways (RCPs). Eugenia uniflora exhibited higher haplotype and nucleotide diversity in the southern part of its distribution than in the northern part. Two divergent lineages were revealed in the phylogenetic analysis of haplotypes, with an estimated divergence at c. 4.9 Mya. The populations in the northern and central regions of the range probably experienced population growth, whereas populations in the southern region are marked by historical demographic stability. ENM results indicate that the distribution of E. uniflora was fragmented in cool periods and was broader and more connected during warm periods during Pleistocene. The results suggest distinct evolutionary histories in southern to northern populations, indicating region-specific responses to changes.

Ecological niche modeling and a lack of phylogeographic structure in Vriesea incurvata suggest historically stable areas in the southern Atlantic Forest

“…Except for birds (Batalha‐Filho et al., ; Cabanne et al., ), few studies on AF organisms suggest a lack of or weak phylogeographic structure. Instead, phylogeographic breaks and, consequently, the formation of structured groups have been reported for a number of organisms, including amphibians (Brunes et al., ; Menezes et al., ), bees (Batalha‐Filho et al., ), reptiles (Pellegrino et al., ), bats (Martins et al., ), and plants (Ribeiro et al., ; Turchetto‐Zolet et al., ). The causes of such breaks have been widely debated and attributed mainly to Pleistocene climatic cycles, geomorphological dynamics, and river systems (Thomé et al., ; Ribeiro et al., ; Menezes et al., ).…”

The impact of early Quaternary climate change on the diversification and population dynamics of a South American cactus species

“…Two events of vicariance corroborate the phylogeographic structure of C. hildmannianus , separating the western and eastern inland regions from the coastline cluster (Figure ). Similarly, phylogeographic structure (inland and coastline) were reported in the orchid Epidendrum fulgens (Pinheiro & Cozzolino, ; Pinheiro et al., ), and Eugenia uniflora (Turchetto‐Zolet et al., ), highlighting the importance of common historical processes shaping the distribution of several southern Brazilian taxa. A similar movement of populations from western (inland region), and recent colonisation of the coastal plain, was suggested for Calibrachoa heterophylla and the Petunia integrifolia species complex in Solanaceae (Longo, Lorenz‐Lemke, Mäder, Bonatto, & Freitas, ; Mäder, Fregonezi, Lorenz‐Lemke, Bonatto, & Freitas, ).…”

Phylogeography and population differentiation in the Psittacanthus calyculatus (Loranthaceae) mistletoe: a complex scenario of climate–volcanism interaction along the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt

“…In the Southern Hemisphere, there is no evidence for range shifts toward the north during the LGM and re‐colonization of southerly habitats afterward, but rather in situ survival of highland plant species within their extant distribution ranges (e.g. Barros et al., ; Jacob, Martínez‐Meyer, & Blattner, ; Turchetto‐Zolet et al., ). For P. calyculatus in the TMVB, the predictions of ENMs under past LGM climatic conditions and the significant signal of demographic expansion suggest that populations experienced a northward range expansion toward the west of the TMVB and to the lowlands with population connectivity during the LGM, as predicted by the east‐to‐west colonization and glacial/interglacial cycles models (Mastretta‐Yanes et al., ).…”