Data from: Investigating processes of neotropical rain forest tree diversification by examining the evolution and historical biogeography of the Protieae (Burseraceae)

Andean uplift and the collision of North and South America are thought to have major implications for the diversification of the Neotropical biota. However, few studies have investigated how these geological events may have influenced diversification. We present a multilocus phylogeny of 102 Protieae taxa (73% of published species), sampled pantropically, to test hypotheses about the relative importance of dispersal, vicariance, habitat specialization, and biotic factors in the diversification of this ecologically dominant tribe of Neotropical trees. Bayesian fossil-calibrated analyses date the Protieae stem at 55 Mya. Biogeographic analyses reconstruct an initial late Oligocene/early Miocene radiation in Amazonia for Neotropical Protieae, with several subsequent late Miocene dispersal events to Central America, the Caribbean, Brazil's Atlantic Forest, and the Chocó. Regional phylogenetic structure results indicate frequent dispersal among regions throughout the Miocene and many instances of more recent regional in situ speciation. Habitat specialization to white sand or flooded soils was common, especially in Amazonia. There was one significant increase in diversification rate coincident with colonization of the Neotropics, followed by a gradual decrease consistent with models of diversity-dependent cladogenesis. Dispersal, biotic interactions, and habitat specialization are thus hypothesized to be the most important processes underlying the diversification of the Protieae.

人们普遍认为，安第斯造山运动与南北美洲板块碰撞，对新热带区生物类群的多样化演化具有深远影响。然而，针对此类地质事件如何作用于生物多样化进程的相关研究仍较为匮乏。
本研究构建了覆盖102个裂榄族（Protieae）类群的多位点系统发育树（占已发表物种数的73%），采样范围涵盖泛热带区域，旨在检验扩散、分替分化、生境特化及生物因子在该新热带区树木生态优势族多样化进程中相对重要性的相关假说。
贝叶斯化石定年分析结果显示，裂榄族的茎节点分化时间可追溯至5500万年前。生物地理分析重建显示，新热带区裂榄族的初始辐射演化发生于晚渐新世/早中新世的亚马孙流域，后续又发生了数次晚中新世的扩散事件，分别抵达中美洲、加勒比地区、巴西大西洋森林与乔科生态区。区域系统发育结构分析表明，整个中新世期间各区域间存在频繁的物种扩散，且存在大量近期区域原位物种形成的案例。
对白沙土或积水土壤的生境特化现象较为普遍，尤以亚马孙流域类群为甚。研究还发现一次显著的多样化速率提升事件，恰好与新热带区定殖过程相吻合，随后多样化速率逐渐下降，这与多样性依赖型分支物种形成模型的预测相符。
综上，本研究推测扩散作用、生物互作与生境特化，是驱动裂榄族多样化进程的核心过程。