Cenozoic diversification in the Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae): character evolution and climate change

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Bromeliaceae display striking evolutionary success in terrestrial as well as epiphytic habitats, nevertheless the spreading to the recent centre of diversity and evolution of crucial ecological traits could not be reconstructed yet. Subfamily Bromelioideae (approx. 810 spp.) has comparatively recently radiated in E South America. The majority of species is epiphytic, displays tank habit, Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) and is centred in coastal rainforests. Few genera are morphologically and ecologically distinct, occupying humid temperate Andean or dry lowland habitats. Our previous molecular analyses contradicted current hypotheses of character evolution in the subfamily. Nevertheless, phylogenetic resolution achieved up to now was not sufficient to unambiguously trace character evolution. With the establishment of two highly variable nuclear markers (PRK: phosphoribulokinase gene and RPB2: RNA-polymerase subunit B) resolution and statistical support of the phylogeny will improve considerably. The resulting phylogeny will be used to reconstruct (1) evolutionary changes in climate-/ecospace, (2) ancestral character states, and (3) for dating of diversification of Bromelioideae. For understanding the patterns of speciation processes as well as evolution of important traits and the development of present distribution, vegetation and climate history in the Cenozoic will be included in our comparative studies.