Cookie Policy

This site uses cookies. When browsing the site, you are consenting its use. Learn more

I understood

HOW GEOLOGY AFFECTS DIVERSIFICATION IN INSULAR SPECIES: THE CASE OF MICROMERIA (LAMIACEAE) IN TENERIFE (CANARY ISLANDS)

13 Jun 2014 - Pamela Puppo |June 13, 2014 | 15h20 | CIBIO’s Auditorium, Campus de Vairão
HOW GEOLOGY AFFECTS DIVERSIFICATION IN INSULAR SPECIES: THE CASE OF MICROMERIA (LAMIACEAE) IN TENERIFE (CANARY ISLANDS)

STUDENT SEMINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION

 

 

Our study aims to understand the diversification process of the two groups of Micromeria species in Tenerife: the species restricted to the palaeoislands, and the species widely distributed in the younger part of the island. For this, we calculated a calibrated phylogeny based on eight nuclear loci from 37 samples: 22 of the 8 species currently recognized in Tenerife, and 15 of their closest relatives occurring in neighbouring islands and continental populations. Our phylogeny showed that the species from Tenerife can be subdivided in three main groups: one composed of the species inhabiting the palaeoisland of Anaga, another composed of the species present in the palaeoisland of Teno, and a third group that includes all the central species. We conclude that Micromeria first arrived in Anaga where it diversified, subsequently colonized Teno and from there occupied the central part, presumably after the formation of the Teide. The species of Micromeria in Tenerife constitute an interesting example of how species diversification on oceanic islands can be shaped by the island’s geological history, which likely contributed to the high levels of endemism on Tenerife.

 

 

Pamela obtained her B.Sc. from the National Agrarian University in Lima, Peru, and her M.Sc. from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden in the USA. She is currently working on her Ph.D. as part of the PLANTBIO Group at CIBIO-InBIO under the advisorship of Dr. Harald Meimberg. She presently investigates the influence of geology and ecology as drivers of the diversification in Micromeria in the Canary Islands and Madeira. She also studies the taxonomy and systematics of the Andean genus Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae).

 

 

Image credits: Pamela Puppo

Share this: