| Abstract Detail
Macroevolution Ball, Laymon [1], Lagomarsino, Laura [2]. Plant-pollinator relationships, biogeography, and climatic niche shape the evolution of florally diverse, Neotropical Hillieae (Rubiaceae). Hillieae (Rubiaceae) is a widespread Neotropical tribe of 29 epiphytic species, with spectacular variation in floral morphology: species display the hawkmoth, hummingbird, and bat pollination syndromes. In addition, species occur in a variety of habitats and fill different climatic niches. We previously demonstrated an interaction between climatic niche and pollination syndromes in Hillieae using a principal component analysis of 19 WorldClim bioclimatic variables measured for 15 representative species grouped by pollination syndrome. To better understand the extent to which pollinator-plant relationships and interaction with the climate have shaped the evolution of this morphologically and ecologically diverse group, we integrate phylogenetics with ecological niche modeling, ancestral state reconstruction of pollination syndromes, and biogeographic reconstruction. We build on this research by presenting the first phylogeny of Hillieae, inferred using a targeted sequence capture experiment with a custom probe designed to isolate ~700 putatively orthologous single copy loci across Rubiaceae. A coalescent-based species tree was inferred for the tribe using these data, demonstrating multiple shifts in pollination syndrome from an ancestrally hawkmoth pollinated flower. By integrating these results with the evolution of climatic niche tolerance, we provide insight into the relative importance of various abiotic and biotic factors that generate floral diversity in the Neotropics.
1 - Louisiana State University, Biological Sciences, 103 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
2 - Louisiana State University, Dept Of Biological Sciences, 103 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, United States
Keywords:
biogeography
niche evolution
Neotropics
Pollination syndromes
Rubiaceae
targeted sequencing.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: MACRO II013
Abstract ID:723
Candidate for Awards:None |
