An integrative approach to understanding the evolution and diversity of Copiapoa (Cactaceae), a threatened endemic Chilean genus from the Atacama Desert

• Published in: American journal of botany Vol. 102; no. 9; pp. 1506 - 1520
• Main Authors: Larridon, Isabel, Walter, Helmut E., Guerrero, Pablo C., Duarte, Milén, Cisternas, Mauricio A., Hernández, Carol Peña, Bauters, Kenneth, Asselman, Pieter, Goetghebeur, Paul, Samain, Marie-Stéphanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Botanical Society of America, Inc 01-09-2015; Botanical Society of America
• Subjects: ancestral state reconstruction; Biodiversity; Biological Evolution; Cactaceae; Cactaceae - classification; Cactaceae - genetics; Cactaceae - physiology; Cactoideae; Cactus; Chile; Copiapoa; cpDNA; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Plant - genetics; DNA, Plant - metabolism; evolutionary biogeography; Extinction; Genetic diversity; infrageneric classification; Molecular Sequence Data; morphology; Phylogeny; Plant Dispersal; Plastids - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; systematics; Chile; Peru; Chile, Atacama Desert; ISE, Peru; Cactoideae; Copiapoa; Cactaceae; morphology; infrageneric classification; evolutionary biogeography; phylogeny; ancestral state reconstruction; systematics; cpDNA
• ISSN: 0002-9122; 1537-2197
• DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500168

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Species of the endemic Chilean cactus genus Copiapoa have cylindrical or (sub)globose stems that are solitary or form (large)clusters and typically yellow flowers. Many species are threatened with extinction. Despite being icons of the Atacama Desert and well loved by cactus enthusiasts, the evolution and diversity of Copiapoa has not yet been studied using a molecular approach. METHODS: Sequence data of three plastid DNA markers (rpl32-trnL, trnH-psbA, ycf1) of 39 Copiapoa taxa were analyzed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches. Species distributions were modeled based on geo-referenced localities and climatic data. Evolution of character states of four characters (root morphology, stem branching, stem shape, and stem diameter) as well as ancestral areas were reconstructed using a Bayesian and maximum likelihood framework, respectively. KEY RESULTS: Clades of species are revealed. Though 32 morphologically defined species can be recognized, genetic diversity between some species and infraspecific taxa is too low to delimit their boundaries using plastid DNA markers. Recovered relationships are often supported by morphological and biogeographical patterns. The origin of Copiapoa likely lies between southern Peru and the extreme north of Chile. The Copiapó Valley limited colonization between two biogeographical areas. CONCLUSIONS: Copiapoa is here defined to include 32 species and five heterotypic subspecies. Thirty species are classified into four sections and two subsections, while two species remain unplaced. A better understanding of evolution and diversity of Copiapoa will allow allocating conservation resources to the most threatened lineages and focusing conservation action on real biodiversity.