A Late Cretaceous Piper (Piperaceae) from Colombia and diversification patterns for the genus

• DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1400427
• Publication Date: 2015-02-09T16:29:17Z
• Authors: Camila Martínez; Mónica R. Carvalho; Santiago Madriñán; Carlos A. Jaramillo
• Keywords: Piperaceae; Lineage (genetic)

• Premise of the study: Documented fossil floras in neotropics are sparse, yet their records provide evidence on spatial and temporal occurrence taxa, allowing for testing biogeographical diversification scenarios individual lineages. A new Piper from Late Cretaceous Colombia is described here, its importance assessing patterns genus addressed. Methods: Leaf architecture 32 leaf compressions Guaduas Formation was compared with that 294 extant angiosperm species. The phylogenetic position named margaritae sp. nov. established based traits a molecular scaffold . age independently used as calibration point divergence time estimations. Key results: Natural affinities P. to Schilleria clade indicate occurred tropical America by Cretaceous. Estimates lineage accumulation reveal most diversity accrued during last ∼30 Myr. Conclusions: recent radiation coeval both Andean uplift emergence Central America, which have been proposed important drivers diversity. This pattern could exemplify recurrent theme among many neotropical plant