Biogeography and diversification of Anemopaegma (Bignoniaceae)

Abstract

Even though we have a relatively good understanding about the patterns of biodiversity distribution, we still know very little about the processes that led to the variations in distribution patterns encountered nowadays within different biomes. Historically, a number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the variation in the distribution of living organisms and differences in rates of diversification among organisms. However, such hypotheses only began to be tested in 1980s, when phylogenies started to become available allowing for the development of methodologies to explicitly test these hypotheses. This study focuses on Anemopaegma, a genus of 45 species of shrubs or lianas, distributed in wet and dry forests, caatingas and Neotropical savannas, constituting an excellent model for testing biogeographic hypotheses in the Neotropics. In this proposal for Research Internship Abroad (BEPE), we will use the phylogeny of Anemopaegma to study the biogeographic history of the genus, and test hypotheses associated with diversification of this genus. To achieve these goals, we will: (1) estimate the times of divergence of various lineages within Anemopaegma; (2) reconstruct the ancestral areas of individual lineages; (3) infer the evolution of selected morphological characters; (4) infer the occupation of particular habitats; (5) estimate the rates of diversification of various lineages within the genus; and (6) perform correlation analyses considering the rates of diversification and evolution of specific attributes. All results will be analyzed in the light of the geological history and paleoclimate of the Neotropical Region. Results from this project will contribute to the formulation of more realistic biogeographic hypotheses that will subsequently be tested with other clades of plants and animals. (AU)