Areas of endemism and recent speciation in the Southern Cone of South America, using Senecio (Asteraceae) as a proxy

DEL VALLE ELÍAS, GABRIELA; AAGESEN, LONE

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2019 vol. 128 p. 70 - 70

0024-4066

e set out to identify areas of endemism (AEs) among vascular plants in the Southern Cone of South America, using the genus Senecio (Asteraceae) as proxy. The use of a proxy allows a large-scale study to be carried out in a relatively short time and is suitable for pinpointing areas of interest for further investigation. Senecio is the most obvious choice for a proxy in the Southern Cone, because it is the most diverse genus in the region. We analysed the distribution of 200 endemic species using an optimality criterion (VNDM program). In general, endemism of Senecio in the Southern Cone forms 16 AEs that coincide with previously defined AEs and/or with distribution patterns also supported in phylogeographical studies. As such, Senecio appears to be a suitable proxy in endemicity studies, bearing in mind that these species are of young ages and therefore identify neoendemic AEs. Senecio distribution patterns in the Southern Cone corroborate that high Andean environments are prime sites