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Environmental niche variation and evolutionary diversification of the Brachypodium distachyon grass complex species in their native circum-mediterranean range

L�pez-Alvarez, Diana; Manzaneda, Antonio J.; Rey, Pedro J.; Giraldo, Patricia; Benavente, Elena; Allainguillaume, Jo�l; Mur, Luis; Caicedo, Ana L.; Hazen, Samuel P.; Breiman, Adina; Ezrati, Smadar; Catal�n, Pilar

Authors

Diana L�pez-Alvarez

Antonio J. Manzaneda

Pedro J. Rey

Patricia Giraldo

Elena Benavente

Luis Mur

Ana L. Caicedo

Samuel P. Hazen

Adina Breiman

Smadar Ezrati

Pilar Catal�n



Abstract

© 2015 Botanical Society of America. PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We conducted environmental niche modeling (ENM) of the Brachypodium distachyon s.l. complex, a model group of two diploid annual grasses (B. distachyon, B. stacei) and their derived allotetraploid (B. hybridum), native to the circum-Mediterranean region. We (1) investigated the ENMs of the three species in their native range based on present and past climate data; (2) identified potential overlapping niches of the diploids and their hybrid across four Quaternary windows; (3) tested whether speciation was associated withniche divergence/conservatism in the complex species; and (4) tested for the potential of the polyploid outperforming the diploids in the native range. METHODS: Geo-referenced data, altitude, and 19 climatic variables were used to construct the ENMs. We used paleoclimate niche models to trace the potential existence of ancestral gene flow among the hybridizing species of the complex. KEY RESULTS: Brachypodium distachyon grows in higher, cooler, and wetter places, B. stacei in lower, warmer, and drier places, and B. hybridum in places withintermediate climatic features. Brachypodium hybridum had the largest niche overlap withits parent niches, but a similar distribution range and niche breadth. CONCLUSIONS: Each species had a unique environmental niche though there were multiple niche overlapping areas for the diploids across time, suggesting the potential existence of several hybrid zones during the Pleistocene and the Holocene. No evidence of niche divergence was found, suggesting that species diversification was not driven by ecological speciation but by evolutionary history, though it could be associated to distinct environmental adaptations.

Citation

López-Alvarez, D., Manzaneda, A. J., Rey, P. J., Giraldo, P., Benavente, E., Allainguillaume, J., …Catalán, P. (2015). Environmental niche variation and evolutionary diversification of the Brachypodium distachyon grass complex species in their native circum-mediterranean range. American Journal of Botany, 102(7), 1073-1088. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1500128

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 9, 2015
Online Publication Date Jul 1, 2015
Publication Date Jul 1, 2015
Deposit Date Jul 28, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal American Journal of Botany
Print ISSN 0002-9122
Publisher Botanical Society of America
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 102
Issue 7
Pages 1073-1088
DOI https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1500128
Keywords B rachypodium distachyon, B stacei, B hybridum, circum-Mediterranean native range, current and past bioclimatic envelopes, environmental niche modeling, model grasses, niche differentiation–conservatism, Poaceae, predicted distribution of potential hybr
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/832002
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1500128