Macroevolutionary dynamics of Androsace s.l. (Primulaceae) across the Northern Hemisphere

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Macroevolutionary dynamics of Androsace s.l. (Primulaceae) across the Northern Hemisphere

Chuan Peng^1,2, Chihchieh Yu³, Wenna Ding^1,4, Liqiong Chen⁵, Qiuyue Zhang¹, Yaoke Li^1,2, Florian C. Boucher⁶, Sébastien Lavergne^6*, Yaowu Xing^1,7*

1 Yunnan Key Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Stability and Global Change, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
2 College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3 Department of Collections, Conservation, and Research, Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois 60605, USA
4 Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
5 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany
6 Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA (Laboratoire d’écologie Alpine), FR-38000 Grenoble, France
7 State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
* Corresponding author: Yaowu Xing; Sébastien Lavergne.
* E-mail address: ywxing@xtbg.org.cn; sebastien.lavergne@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr.

Received:2025-09-30 Accepted:2026-06-09
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32170212 and 32225005) and Yunnan Fundamental Research Projects (No. 202501BC070013).

Abstract

Abstract: Mountain regions of the Northern Hemisphere harbor exceptional biodiversity, yet the processes underlying species diversification and migration among these regions remain poorly understood. This study investigates the macroevolutionary dynamics of Androsace s.l., a genus widely distributed across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with notable diversity in the Alps and the Hengduan-Himalaya region. Although previous phylogenetic studies have advanced understanding of the evolutionary history of Androsace, its biogeographic origins and diversification history have remained unresolved due to limited species sampling and low statistical support. Here, we revisited the inter- and infrageneric taxonomic controversies. Using chloroplast genome (cpDNA) and nuclear ribosomal ITS (nrDNA) sequences from 101 species representing four related genera and seven infrageneric sections, we reconstructed the most comprehensively sampled phylogeny of Androsace to date and established a spatiotemporal framework for its biogeographic and diversification history. Phylogenetic analyses based on cpDNA revealed four well-supported clades corresponding to distinct ecological, geographic, and morphological traits. A similar four-clade structure was recovered in the ITS phylogeny, albeit with lower statistical support. Divergence time estimation and biogeographic analyses traced the origin of Androsace s.l. to the Pan-Tibetan highlands in the early Oligocene (~33 Ma), identifying this region as the source for other mountain systems. The genus underwent asynchronous diversification across different mountain systems and clades, driven by distinct tectonic events, environmental changes, and trait innovations. These results provide a spatiotemporal framework for understanding the evolution of alpine plants in the Northern Hemisphere.

Key words: Androsace, Biogeography, Douglasia, Mountain biodiversity, Pomatosace, Vitaliana

Chuan Peng, Chihchieh Yu, Wenna Ding, Liqiong Chen, Qiuyue Zhang, Yaoke Li, Florian C. Boucher, Sébastien Lavergne, Yaowu Xing. Macroevolutionary dynamics of Androsace s.l. (Primulaceae) across the Northern Hemisphere[J]. J Syst Evol.

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Macroevolutionary dynamics of Androsace s.l. (Primulaceae) across the Northern Hemisphere

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