Abstract Detail

Biogeography

Diaz, Amalia [1], Echternacht, Livia [2], Simpson, Beryl [3].

Tracing the tropical origins of the high -Andean páramo flora: The case of the Eriocaulaceae.

Highlands occupy more than 30% of the South American landmass and they comprise ancient, Precambrian formations as well as young, complex groups of geomorphological units from the Tertiary and Quaternary. In Central and Northern South America, highlands are represented by the Guiana tepuis that belong to the Guiana Shield formation in Venezuela and French Guyana, the campos de altitude, which belong to the Brazilian Shield, and the high Andean páramos in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, that belong to the complex Andean system. Numerous genera of different taxonomic groups like plants, birds, butterflies, frogs, and beetles, share disjunct distributions among these three highland masses, turning them into main biogeographic areas of diversification in South America. Reconstructing the evolutionary relationships of plant species present in these three areas is essential to understanding the events that gave rise to their present distributions. Using molecular data from three chloroplast markers (trnL/trnF psbA/trnH, trnL intron) and one nuclear region (Internal Transcribed Spacer – ITS), we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Paepalanthus subgenus Platycaulon (Eriocaulaceae), which exhibits a clear disjunct distribution among the Andean páramos, the tepuis, and the campos de altitude. The preliminary results suggest that the subgenus Platycaulon is not monophyletic, and there were several independent events of colonization to the northern high Andes, followed by major radiation events, that gave rise to the Eriocaulaceae páramo species we see today.

Broader Impacts:

1 - The University of Texas at Austin, Plant Biology Graduate Program, Station #A6700, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
2 - Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Sistemática Vegetal, Rua do Matão 277, Cidade Universitária, Butantã, CEP – 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
3 - University Of Texas, Section Of Integrative Biology, 1 University Station A6700, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

Keywords:
Páramo
biogeography
Eriocaulaceae
Highlands of northern South America.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Battelle South/Convention Center
Date: Monday, July 9th, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PBG010
Abstract ID:389