Evolution and biogeography of Philodendron (Araceae) in the junction zone of Central & South America

Resumen

Exceeding 600 currently accepted species, Philodendron is one of the most diverse genera in Neotropical rainforests. It originated ~29 million years ago in Amazonia and diversified more intensely from the Late Miocene onwards, coinciding with the rise of the Andes and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Although the genus colonized Central America only relatively late, the region is one of the centers of diversity and endemism of Philodendron, harboring more than 120 known species. In all available molecular studies, however, representation of species from this region has been poor. In order to understand the evolutionary origin of the high Central American diversity, we used an exhaustive species sampling and a combination of three non-coding plastid regions. The phylogenetic results support 12 geographically well-defined clades in the large subgenus Philodendron, two of which consist of the vast majority of species from Central America, southern Mexico and the Caribbean. Five smaller Central American subclades and some rather widespread species are nested within larger South American clades. This pattern suggests at least nine colonization events in the region and several rapid radiations. In summary, Philodendron has proven to be an ideal model group to study historical biogeography and evolutionary processes in the Neotropics.

Citation: Köster, N., Cedeño-Fonseca, M., Ortiz, O.O., de Mestier, A. & Borsch, T. 2025. Evolution and biogeography of Philodendron (Araceae) in the junction zone of Central & South America. Revista Jard. Bot. Nac. Univ. Habana 46(Número especial 1): 57.  

Trabajo presentado en el XIII Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica. Sesión Sistemática, Filogenia, Biogeografía y Evolución.