Global Biogeography of Scaly Tree Ferns with Gondwanan Vicariance Evidence

78 ingroup taxa of Cyatheaceae ferns were analyzed to reconstruct large-scale historical biogeographical patterns. The study tests vicariance hypotheses related to the break-up of Gondwana and identifies limited transoceanic dispersal events. It uses DNA sequence data analyzed with Bayesian inference and Lagrange for maximum likelihood biogeographical reconstruction.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct ancestral distributions for the Alsophila, Cyathea, and Gymnosphaera lineages using phylogenetic and biogeographical models.
• Test vicariance scenarios against long-distance dispersal events for the Sphaeropteris lineage in the context of Gondwanan break-up.
• Analyze lineage divergence dates estimated with BEAST to correlate Cyatheaceae origin in the Late Jurassic with geological events.
• Model range expansion and distribution shifts for the marginate-scaled clade across tropics, subtropics, and south-temperate zones.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on 78 ingroup taxa representative of the global geographical distribution of the entire Cyatheaceae family.
• Integrates multiple analytical methods: Bayesian inference phylogenies, BEAST divergence dating, and Lagrange biogeographical reconstruction.
• Explicitly tests a specific biogeographical hypothesis (Gondwanan vicariance) with clear methodological framing.

Limitations

• Sample data and raw observational records (e.g., specific location coordinates, specimen details) are not provided in the input.
• The phylogenetic relationships among the Alsophila, Cyathea and Gymnosphaera lineages are described as unresolved, limiting certain ancestral reconstructions.
• The dataset appears to contain derived analytical results rather than primary occurrence or genetic sequence data.

Provenance

Source

Petra Korall

Collection Method

Bayesian inference analyses of previously published DNA sequence data using MrBayes; biogeographical analysis using Lagrange; divergence dating using BEAST.

Time Range

Evolutionary history from the Late Jurassic to present.

Freshness

2020-06-24

Geography

Tropics, subtropics, and south-temperate areas worldwide.