A global blueberry phylogeny: Evolution, diversification, and biogeography of Vaccinieae (Ericaceae)

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 201; p. 108202
• Main Authors: Becker, Anna L., Crowl, Andrew A., Luteyn, James L., Chanderbali, Andre S., Judd, Walter S., Manos, Paul S., Soltis, Douglas E., Smith, Stephen A., Goncalves, Deise J.P., Dick, Christopher W., Weaver, William N., Soltis, Pamela S., Cellinese, Nico, Fritsch, Peter W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2024
• Subjects: Andes region; Bayes Theorem; Biogeography; blueberries; Blueberry Plants - classification; Blueberry Plants - genetics; chromosomes; data collection; Ericaceae; Evolution, Molecular; geographical distribution; Phylogenomics; Phylogeny; Phylogeography; polyphyly; polyploidy; Sequence Analysis, DNA; South East Asia; species; taxonomic revisions; Taxonomy; Vaccinieae; Vaccinium vitis-idaea; South East Asia; Andes region; Biogeography; Vaccinieae; Ericaceae; Taxonomy; Phylogenomics
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108202

[Display omitted] •The area of origin for the blueberry tribe (Vaccinieae) is inferred as North America.•Biogeographic analysis reveals multiple, independent movements from north-temperate regions into the tropics.•Four diversification rate increases are inferred across the tribe, one of which is associated with movement into the tropics.•The finding of highly polyphyletic genera and sections of Vaccinium clarifies the necessity for infratribal reclassification.•Poorly understood and understudied tropical diversity hinders reclassification efforts. Vaccinieae is a morphologically diverse and species-rich (∼1430 species) tribe in Ericaceae. Although the majority of diversity is tropical, Vaccinieae are best known for temperate crops (i.e., blueberries, cranberries, and lingonberries) in Vaccinium. Vaccinium itself (∼500 species) has been previously suggested as highly polyphyletic and taxonomic boundaries among many of the other genera in the tribe remain uncertain. We assessed the evolutionary history of Vaccinieae with phylogenomic analyses based on a target-enrichment dataset containing 256 low-copy nuclear loci and 210 species representing 30 of the 35 genera in the tribe and 25 of the 29 sections of Vaccinium. We conducted time-calibrated biogeographic analyses and diversification analyses to explore the area of origin and global dispersal history of the tribe. The analysis recovered a temperate North American origin for Vaccinieae approximately 30 million years ago. Tropical diversity of Vaccinieae was inferred to result from multiple, independent movements into the tropics from north-temperate ancestors. Diversification rate increases corresponded to radiation into the Andes and SE Asia. The pseudo-10-locular ovary evolved once in the tribe from the five-locular state, coinciding with the diversification of a major clade that includes most Asian Vaccinium and the group from which commercial blueberries are derived (V. sect. Cyanococcus). A reconstruction from available chromosome counts suggests that a major polyploid event predated the evolution of nearly half the diversity of Vaccinieae. The extent of polyphyly in Vaccinium documented here supports the need for a generic reclassification of the tribe.