Data from: Macroevolutionary dynamics in the early diversification of Asteraceae

Spatial and temporal differences in ecological opportunity can result in
disparity of net species diversification rates and consequently uneven
distribution of taxon richness across the tree of life. The largest
eudicotyledonous plant family Asteraceae has a global distribution and at
least 460 times more species than its South American endemic sister family
Calyceraceae. In this study, diversification rate dynamics across
Asteraceae are examined in light of the several hypothesized causes for
the family’s evolutionary success that could be responsible for rate
change. The innovations of racemose capitulum and pappus, and a whole
genome duplication event occurred near the origin of the family, yet we
found the basal lineages of Asteraceae that evolved in South America share
background diversification rates with Calyceraceae and their Australasian
sister Goodeniaceae. Instead we found diversification rates increased
gradually from the origin of Asteraceae approximately 69.5 Ma in the late
Cretaceous through the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum at least. In contrast
to earlier studies, significant rate shifts were not strongly correlated
with intercontinental dispersals or polyploidization. The difference is
due primarily to sampling more backbone nodes, as well as calibrations
placed internally in Asteraceae that resulted in earlier divergence times
than those found in most previous relaxed clock studies. Two clades
identified as having transformed rate processes are the Vernonioid Clade
and a clade within the Heliantheae alliance characterized by phytomelanic
fruit (PF Clade) that represents an American radiation. In Africa,
subfamilies Carduoideae, Pertyoideae, Gymnarrhenoideae, Cichorioideae,
Corymbioideae, and Asteroideae diverged in a relatively short span of only
6.5 million years during the Middle Eocene.