0000000000623196
AUTHOR
Pablo Vargas
Chemosystematic study on leaf volatile compounds of Saxifraga L. series Ceratophyllae (Saxifragaceae)
Extracts from 65 samples corresponding to 13 species and 18 taxa of Saxifraga series Ceratophyllae s. l. were analysed by GC and GC/MS. This paper provides the first chemosystematic information on volatile composition of a seemingly natural group in the Saxifragaceae. Diterpenoids and n-alkanes appear to be the most important constituents and some of them are associated to different species and taxonomic series. The application of multivariate analysis techniques to GC and GC/MS data has allowed the classification of samples into two groups, corresponding approximately to the series Ceratophyllae s. str. and Pentadactyles, previously proposed on the basis of morphological and cytotaxonomica…
Fire and Plant Diversification in Mediterranean-Climate Regions
Despite decades of broad interest in global patterns of biodiversity, little attention has been given to understanding the remarkable levels of plant diversity present in the world’s five Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions, all of which are considered to be biodiversity hotspots. Comprising the Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, the Cape Region of South Africa, and southwestern Australia, these regions share the unusual climatic regime of mild wet winters and warm dry summers. Despite their small extent, covering only about 2.2% of world land area, these regions are home to approximately one-sixth of the world vascular plant flora. The onset of MTCs in the middle Miocene …
A geographical pattern ofAntirrhinum(Scrophulariaceae) speciation since the Pliocene based on plastid and nuclear DNA polymorphisms
Aim To infer phylogenetic relationships among Antirrhinum species and to reconstruct the historical distribution of observed sequence polymorphism through estimates of haplotype clades and lineage divergence. Location Antirrhinum is distributed primarily throughout the western Mediterranean, with 22 of 25 species in the Iberian Peninsula. Methods Plastid (83 trnS-trnG and 83 trnK-matK) and nuclear (87 ITS) sequences were obtained from 96 individuals representing 24 of the 25 Antirrhinum species. Sequences were analysed using maximum parsimony, Bayesian inference and statistical parsimony networking. Molecular clock estimates were obtained for plastid trnK-matK sequences using the penalized …
Dimensions of invasiveness: Links between local abundance, geographic range size, and habitat breadth in Europe's alien and native floras.
Understanding drivers of success for alien species can inform on potential future invasions. Recent conceptual advances highlight that species may achieve invasiveness via performance along at least three distinct dimensions: 1) local abundance, 2) geographic range size, and 3) habitat breadth in naturalized distributions. Associations among these dimensions and the factors that determine success in each have yet to be assessed at large geographic scales. Here, we combine data from over one million vegetation plots covering the extent of Europe and its habitat diversity with databases on species' distributions, traits, and historical origins to provide a comprehensive assessment of invasive…
Opposite trends in the genus Monsonia (Geraniaceae): Specialization in the African deserts and range expansions throughout eastern Africa
The African Austroerate Flora stands out by its important species richness. A distinctive element of this flora is Monsonia (Geraniaceae), mostly found in the Namib-Karoo but also in the Natal-Drakensberg, the Somalian Zambezian and the Saharo-Arabian regions. Here, we reconstruct the evolution and biogeographic history of Monsonia based on nuclear and plastid markers, and examine the role of morphological and niche evolution in its diversification using species distribution modeling and macroevolutionary models. Our results indicate that Monsonia first diversified in the Early Miocene c.21 Ma, coinciding with the start of desertification in southwestern Africa. An important diversification…