Abstract Detail

Biogeography

Simpson, Andrew G. [1], Wing, Scott L. [2], Fenster, Charlie [3].

Phylogeographic history of the Rosales comparing phylogenetic comparative ancestral state reconstruction against fossil-assisted phylogeographic methods.

A common challenge to studies that infer the ecological and geographic characteristics of extinct or ancestral taxa is that phylogenetic methods require numerous problematic assumptions, and fossil data is often lacking or incomplete. To assess the relative weight of the problems generated by missing fossils and phylogenetic assumptions we use two different methods to infer paleo-patterns of geographic range across the Rosales (Angiosperms: Eudicots). First, we use a likelihood-based phylogenetic comparative ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) implemented in the R package diversitree, which accounts for the effect of character state on diversification rates but does not use the fossil record, and second we use BioGeoBEARS, which makes use of fossil data but does not account for the effect of character state on diversification.
Our spatially-explicit BioGeoBEARS analysis inferred that the Rosaceae have a North American origin while the other Rosalean families more likely originated in Eurasia. While these inferences do likely represent the true appearance of the Rosales in the northern hemisphere, it is highly sensitive to the fossil record which is biased toward the northern hemisphere. Thus, for instance, the Rosaceae may have arrived and became widespread in North America before Eurasia, but may have originated somewhere else first. ASR also identifies clades of genera that were likely to have been ancestrally widespread. According to BioGeoBEARS, many of the genera in these clades probably were not widespread in the past, but almost all of the genera that were historically widespread belong to one of the clades inferred to have been widespread by our diversitree analysis.
The two methods compliment each other in that the phylogenetic comparative method in diversitree has poorer taxonomic resolution than BioGeoBEARS at inferring paleo-range size, but can do so effectively without relying on fossil data.

1 - Smithsonian Institution, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
2 - Smithsonian Institution, Dept. Of Paleobiology NHB 121, PO Box 37012, WASHINGTON, DC, 20013-7012, USA
3 - University of Maryland, Biology, Biology Psychology Building, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

Keywords:
Rosales
Phylogeography
Paleobotany
diversitree
BioGeoBears
ancestral state reconstruction.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 37, Biogeography II
Location: 103/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 37010
Abstract ID:773
Candidate for Awards:None