AUTHOR=Luebert Federico , Weigend Maximilian 

TITLE=Phylogenetic insights into Andean plant diversification

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2014

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2014.00027

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2014.00027

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<br/>Andean orogeny is considered as one of the most important events for the development<br/>of current plant diversity in South America. We compare available phylogenetic studies and<br/>divergence time estimates for plant lineages that may have diversified in response to Andean<br/>orogeny. The influence of the Andes on plant diversification is separated into four major groups:<br/>The Andes as source of new high-elevation habitats, as a vicariant barrier, as a North-South<br/>corridor and as generator of new environmental conditions outside the Andes. Biogeographical<br/>relationships between the Andes and other regions are also considered. Divergence time<br/>estimates indicate that high-elevation lineages originated and diversified during or after the major<br/>phases of Andean uplift (Mid-Miocene to Pliocene), although there are some exceptions. As<br/>expected, Andean mid-elevation lineages tend to be older than high-elevation groups. Most<br/>clades with disjunct distribution on both sides of the Andes diverged during Andean uplift.<br/>Inner-Andean clades also tend to have divergence time during or after Andean uplift. This is<br/>interpreted as evidence of vicariance. Dispersal along the Andes has been shown to occur in<br/>either direction, mostly dated after the Andean uplift. Divergence time estimates of plant groups<br/>outside the Andes encompass a wider range of ages, indicating that the Andes may not be<br/>necessarily the cause of these diversifications. The Andes are biogeographically related to all<br/>neighbouring areas, especially Central America, with floristic interchanges in both directions<br/>since Early Miocene times. Direct biogeographical relationships between the Andes and other<br/>disjunct regions have also been shown in phylogenetic studies, especially with the eastern<br/>Brazilian highlands and North America. The history of the Andean flora is complex and plant<br/>diversification has been driven by a variety of processes, including environmental change,<br/>adaptation, and biotic interactions<br/>