Theme 2 – Threats and Impacts

Cenozoic diversification in Bromeliaceae: character evolution and climate change

Team: Katharina Schulte (ATH), Georg Zizka (Research Institute Senckenberg & Goethe University Frankfurt), Kurt Weising (University of Kassel), Pierre Ibisch (University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde), Daniele Silvestro, Daniel Caceres, and Ingo Michalak (PhD candidates, Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute & Research Institute Senckenberg), Sascha Heller (Diploma student, Goethe University Frankfurt), Natascha Wagner (PhD student, University of Kassel), Rafael Louzada (PhD student), Universidade de Sao Paulo.

Bromeliaceae are one of the most important epiphyte families of the Neotropics, and are highly successful in colonizing terrestrial as well as epiphytic habitats. Within the family, several lineages underwent rapid radiations in different regions of Central and South America (e.g. Bromelioideae: eastern Brazil, Puyoideae: Andes), whilst others exhibit only a low diversity today (e.g. Fosterella: Andes). To unravel the factors that contributed to the evolutionary success of different bromeliad lineages, molecular phylogenies are built based on DNA sequence data and AFLP fingerprints and used to reconstruct the evolution of key traits (e.g. tank habit, leaf succulence, flower morphology). The correlation between trait evolution, the Cenozoic history of the Neotropics (climate, geology, vegetation), and changes in diversification rates will be explored and the historical biogeography of the groups will be reconstructed.

The project consists of several sub-projects that are mainly funded by the German Research Foundation and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt.