Alex SkeelsNov 10, 2023
Annals of Botany
🌳🌧️The paper ‘Sequential diversification with Miocene extinction and Pliocene speciation linked to mountain uplift explains the diversity of the African rain forest clade Monodoreae (Annonaceae)’ in @AnnBot by @LPDagallier et al. is now #free for a limited time. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad130 (1/10)
Sequential diversification with Miocene extinction and Pliocene speciation linked to mountain uplift explains the diversity of the African rain forest clade Monodoreae (Annonaceae)

AbstractBackground and Aims. Throughout the Cenozoic, Africa underwent several climatic and geological changes impacting the evolution of tropical rain forests

OUP Academic
Nov 9, 2023 at 6:50pmWeb
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
African tropical rain forests (TRFs) are known for their rich biodiversity, but they've been through a lot over millions of years. They once spanned East to West Africa in a 'pan-African' TRF. (2/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
However, during the Miocene, climate cooling and mountain uplift led to aridification, shrinking TRFs and possibly causing local extinctions. But what's the evidence for this? (3/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
Researchers focused on the Monodoreae clade (Annonaceae), a group of 90 tree species found in African TRFs. They used molecular data and phylogenetic methods to unlock the secrets of this clade. (4/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
The Monodoreae clade originated in East African TRFs around 25 million years ago (Ma) and later expanded toward Central Africa during the Miocene. But what happened during this time? (5/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
Evidence suggests that there were range contractions during the middle Miocene. But there's an interesting twist in the story - connections between East and West African TRFs were observed around 15-13 Ma. (6/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
The study points to a sudden extinction event in the late Miocene. This was followed by a burst in speciation rates, leading to greater diversity. The uplift of East Africa (orogeny) played a crucial role in speciation within the Monodoreae clade. Higher elevations seemed to promote diversification. (7/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
The study suggests a "sequential scenario of diversification." Aridification triggered TRF species' extinction, followed by fragmentation, which promoted speciation due to improved climate conditions and vicariance. (8/10)
Show threadAnnals of BotanyNov 9, 2023
In contrast to previous notions, the uplift of East Africa was a positive factor in the diversification of the Monodoreae clade. (9/10)