Unravelling the tempo and mode of independent radiations in the megadiverse genus Mimosa L. (Fabaceae, Mimoseae)

Abstract

The evolutionary success of a lineage may be measured by its species diversity or by its mor- phological disparity. Although diversity and disparity are not necessarily correlated, they are usually closely tied in adaptive radiations. However, phenotypic evolution, including dispari- fication, is limited by underlying factors, such as modularity and integration. The interplay between integration and modularity changes how traits vary through time and may constrain or facilitate morphological diversification in face of ecological opportunities, such as those available in a new biome. However, it is still unclear how modularity and integration, disparity, and shifts in ecological niche jointly affected plant evolution. Here we propose to use the genus Mimosa (Fabaceae) as a model to answer how variations in modularity and integration patterns shaped plant disparification, particularly during lineage biome transitions. For that, we will infer a new phylogenetic hypothesis and build a comprehensive morphological dataset for the genus, which will support comparative analyses of disparity and modularity patterns. As a whole, this research will help us to fill knowledge gaps related to the role of evolvability in the evolution of plant diversity.