Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge

Abstract Welwitschia mirabilis is one of the most extraordinary plant species on earth. With a fossil record of 112 My and phylogenetically isolated within the order Gnetales, the monotypic genus Welwitschia has survived only in the northern Namib Desert in Angola and Namibia. Despite its iconic rol...

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Autores principales:	Norbert Jürgens, Imke Oncken, Jens Oldeland, Felicitas Gunter, Barbara Rudolph
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/ae5235af0ac14b2d9675e40f588ab10b
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:ae5235af0ac14b2d9675e40f588ab10b2021-12-02T13:57:49ZWelwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge10.1038/s41598-021-81150-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/ae5235af0ac14b2d9675e40f588ab10b2021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81150-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Welwitschia mirabilis is one of the most extraordinary plant species on earth. With a fossil record of 112 My and phylogenetically isolated within the order Gnetales, the monotypic genus Welwitschia has survived only in the northern Namib Desert in Angola and Namibia. Despite its iconic role, the biogeography, ecological niche, and evolutionary history of the species remain poorly understood. Here we present the first comprehensive map of the strongly disjunct species range, and we explore the genetic relationships among all range fragments based on six SSR markers. We also assess the variation of the environmental niche and habitat preference. Our results confirm genetic divergence, which is consistent with the hypothetical existence of two subspecies within Welwitschia. We identify an efficient geographical barrier separating two gene pools at 18.7°S in northern Namibia. We also identify further diversification within each of the two subspecies, with several different gene pools in ten isolated range fragments. Given the presence of well-isolated populations with unique gene pools and the association with different bioclimatic variables, rock types, and habitats within arid river catchments, we can hypothesize that the present intraspecific diversity may have evolved at least in part within the present refuge of the northern Namib Desert.Norbert JürgensImke OnckenJens OldelandFelicitas GunterBarbara RudolphNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Norbert Jürgens Imke Oncken Jens Oldeland Felicitas Gunter Barbara Rudolph Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
description	Abstract Welwitschia mirabilis is one of the most extraordinary plant species on earth. With a fossil record of 112 My and phylogenetically isolated within the order Gnetales, the monotypic genus Welwitschia has survived only in the northern Namib Desert in Angola and Namibia. Despite its iconic role, the biogeography, ecological niche, and evolutionary history of the species remain poorly understood. Here we present the first comprehensive map of the strongly disjunct species range, and we explore the genetic relationships among all range fragments based on six SSR markers. We also assess the variation of the environmental niche and habitat preference. Our results confirm genetic divergence, which is consistent with the hypothetical existence of two subspecies within Welwitschia. We identify an efficient geographical barrier separating two gene pools at 18.7°S in northern Namibia. We also identify further diversification within each of the two subspecies, with several different gene pools in ten isolated range fragments. Given the presence of well-isolated populations with unique gene pools and the association with different bioclimatic variables, rock types, and habitats within arid river catchments, we can hypothesize that the present intraspecific diversity may have evolved at least in part within the present refuge of the northern Namib Desert.
format	article
author	Norbert Jürgens Imke Oncken Jens Oldeland Felicitas Gunter Barbara Rudolph
author_facet	Norbert Jürgens Imke Oncken Jens Oldeland Felicitas Gunter Barbara Rudolph
author_sort	Norbert Jürgens
title	Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
title_short	Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
title_full	Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
title_fullStr	Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
title_full_unstemmed	Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
title_sort	welwitschia: phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/ae5235af0ac14b2d9675e40f588ab10b
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Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge

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