Comparative phylogeography, morphological boundaries and climate envelopes of two sympatric widespread Bromeliaceae from the southern Andes

We studied the epiphytic species Tillandsia capillaris and T. virescens that grow as neotenic forms with autogamous and cleistogamous flowers. They have expanded in Andean mountain environments, where they grow sympatrically across most of their ranges in arid regions of Peru, central-western Bolivia and north-central Argentina and Chile. We studied the relationships between the two species and populations within each of them, the morphological boundaries and the climatic characterization of distinct genetic entities. We analysed 125 and 102 individuals from 25 and 27 populations of T. virescens and T. capillaris, respectively, by means of haplotype networks, phylogenetic and genetic structure analyses, using the plastid gene ycf1 (c. 4500 bp) to define genetic groups. Morphological studies by discriminant analyses and correlation with climatic variables extracted from WorldClim were used to test differentiations among the genetic groups within each species. We confirm that T. capillaris is a distinct entity and that T. virescens consists of three groups that diverged by vicariance from widespread ancestors. The high genetic diversity found in both species is consistent with the complex geography of the Andes and the Pleistocene glaciation cycles that have driven ecological speciation in both species reflected in the timing of divergence of the clusters.Fil: Castello, Lucía Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Chiapella, Jorge Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Barfuss, Michael H. J.. Universidad de Viena; AustriaFil: Till, Walter. Universidad de Viena; AustriaFil: Quiroga, Maria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Premoli Il'grande, Andrea Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin