Data from: Integrating palaeontological and molecular data uncovers multiple ancient and recent dispersals in the pantropical Hamamelidaceae

Aim: The integration of palaeontological and phylogenetic data can improve
our understanding in the spatio-temporal evolutionary processes of living
organisms. However, how best to use fossil data in divergence time
estimation and ancestral range reconstruction remains challenging. Here,
we integrated palaeontological and molecular data to investigate the
historical biogeography of Hamamelidaceae, a pantropical angiosperm family
with abundant fossils outside its present distribution. Location: Global
tropical/subtropical areas. Methods: Using seven DNA regions (>
7,500 bp) from plastid and nuclear genomes, we reconstructed a robust
phylogenetic framework for Hamamelidaceae with the first complete
genus-level sampling. We used the tip-dating method with the 22 fossils to
estimate divergence times for the family, and inferred the ancestral range
of lineages under the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model by
incorporating the fossils. Results: Our biogeographic analysis indicates
that extant Hamamelidaceae most likely originated in tropical Asia during
the mid-Cretaceous, and in the family 20 dispersals occurred during three
major time intervals: the Upper Cretaceous (c. 93–69 Ma), Paleocene–Eocene
(c. 63–39 Ma) and late Oligocene (c. 27–23 Ma). Main conclusions: Overland
migrations through available land bridges and island chains may have been
mainly responsible for hamamelidaceous range expansions during these three
episodes. This study contributes to our knowledge on the assembly and
evolution of angiosperm-dominated tropical and subtropical forests.