Plant speciation in the Namib Desert : potential origin of a widespread derivative species from a narrow endemic
Abstract
Background: Parapatric (or ‘budding’) speciation is increasingly recognised as an important phenomenon in plant evolution but its role in extreme (e.g. desert) environments is poorly documented. Aims: To test this speciation model in a hypothesised sister pair, the Southwest – North African disjunct Senecio flavus and its putative progenitor, the Namibian Desert endemic S. englerianus. Methods: Phylogenetic inferences were combined with niche divergence tests, morphometrics, and experimental-genetic approaches. We also evaluated the potential role of an African Dry Corridor (ADC) in promoting the hypothesised northward expansion of S. flavus (from Namibia), using palaeodistribution models. Results: Belonging to an isolated (potential ‘relict’) clade, the two morphologically distinct species showed pronounced niche divergence in Namibia and signs of digenic-epistatic hybrid incompatibility (based on F2 pollen fertility). The presence of ‘connate-fluked’ pappus hairs in S. flavus, likely increasing dispersal ability, is controlled by a single gene locus. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for a possible (and rare) example of ‘budding’ speciation in which a wider-ranged derivative (S. flavus) originated at the periphery of a smaller-ranged progenitor (S. englerianus) in the Namib Desert region. The Southwest – North African disjunction of S. flavus could have been established by dispersal across intermediate ADC areas during periods of (Late) Pleistocene aridification.
Citation
Milton , J J , Affenzeller , M , Abbott , R & Comes , H P 2022 , ' Plant speciation in the Namib Desert : potential origin of a widespread derivative species from a narrow endemic ' , Plant Ecology & Diversity , vol. 15 , no. 5-6 , pp. 329-353 . https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2022.2130018
Publication
Plant Ecology & Diversity
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1755-0874Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Description
Funding: This research was funded in part by the award of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) CASE research studentship to J.J.M.Collections
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