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Origin and diversification of the genus Echium (Boraginaceae) in the Cape Verde archipelago
Author(s) -
Romeiras Maria M.,
Paulo Octávio S.,
Duarte M. Cristina,
Pina-Martins Francisco,
Cotrim M. Helena,
Carine Mark A.,
Pais M. Salomé
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.1002/tax.605013
Subject(s) - cape verde , archipelago , endemism , genus , biology , subspecies , ecology , clade , pleistocene , geography , phylogenetic tree , paleontology , ethnology , history , biochemistry , gene
Much work has been done on the endemic floras of Madeira and the Canary Islands but little is known about the origin and diversification of endemic plants of the Cape Verde archipelago. In this study we focus on the three endemic species of the genus Echium L. (Boraginaceae) in Cape Verde. Phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear (ITS1, ITS2) and plastid ( trnT‐L, trnL‐F, rps16, psaI‐accd ) DNA markers produced similar topologies that suggest a recent single colonization event in the Cape Verde archipelago, with subsequent diversification during the Pleistocene (<1.8 Ma). All datasets recovered a split between the "southern" ( E. hypertropicum, E. vulcanorum ) and "northern" ( E. stenosiphon s.l.) island species, and suggest that habitat adaptation and inter‐island colonization played a prominent role in the evolution of Echium in Cape Verde. Implications of the results are discussed in the context of the biogeography of the Macaronesian Islands. The northern island species are classified into three distinct subspecies, one for each of the northern islands: E. stenosiphon subsp. stenosiphon endemic to São Vicente, subsp. lindbergii endemic to Santo Antão, and subsp. glabrescens endemic to São Nicolau.