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

菠萝科在陆生和附生生境中都表现出显著的进化成功，但关键生态性状向最近多样性和进化中心的扩散尚不能重建。凤梨亚科(约.810种。)最近在南美洲东部地区受到了辐射。大多数种类是附生的，表现水箱习性，景天酸代谢(CAM)，集中在沿海热带雨林。少数属在形态上和生态上是不同的，占据潮湿、温带的安第斯山脉或干燥的低地生境。我们之前的分子分析与目前关于亚家族特征进化的假设相矛盾。然而，到目前为止取得的系统发育分辨率还不足以明确地追踪特征的进化。随着两个高度可变的核标记(PRK：磷酸核苷酸激酶基因和RPB2：RNA聚合酶B亚单位)的建立，对系统发育的分辨率和统计支持将会有很大的提高。由此产生的系统发育将用于重建(1)气候/生态空间的进化变化，(2)祖先特征状态，以及(3)菠萝亚科多样化的年代测定。为了了解物种形成过程的模式以及重要特征的演化和现今分布的发展，我们将把新生代的植被和气候历史纳入比较研究。

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.