Pollinators are important drivers of angiosperm diversification at both micro- and macroevolutionary scales. Both hummingbirds and bats pollinate the species-rich and morphologically diverse genus Vriesea across its distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Here, we (i) determine if floral traits predict functional groups of pollinators as documented, confirming the pollination syndromes in Vriesea and (ii) test if genetic structure in Vriesea is driven by geography (latitudinal and altitudinal heterogeneity) or ecology (pollination syndromes). We analysed 11 floral traits of 58 Vriesea species and performed a literature survey of Vriesea pollination biology. The genealogy of haplotypes was inferred and phylogenetic analyses were performed using chloroplast (rps16-trnk and matK) and nuclear (PHYC) molecular markers. Floral traits accurately predict functional groups of pollinators in Vriesea. Genetic groupings match the different pollination syndromes. Species with intermediate position were found between the groups, which share haplotypes and differ morphologically from the typical hummingbird- and bat-pollinated flowers of Vriesea. The phylogeny revealed moderately to well-supported clades which may be interpreted as species complexes. Our results suggest a role of pollinators driving ecological isolation in Vriesea clades. Incipient speciation and incomplete lineage sorting may explain the overall low genetic divergence within and among morphologically defined species, precluding the identification of clear species boundaries. The intermediate species with mixed floral types likely represent a window into shifts between pollinator syndromes. This study reports the morphological-genetic continuum that may be typical of ongoing pollinator-driven speciation in biodiversity hotspots.

中文翻译：

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传粉媒介推动大西洋森林属的花卉进化


传粉媒介是被子植物在微观和宏观进化尺度上多样化的重要驱动力。蜂鸟和蝙蝠都为巴西大西洋森林中物种丰富且形态多样的Vriesea属授粉。在这里，我们（i）确定花性状是否可以预测记录的传粉媒介的功能群体，从而确认Vriesea的授粉综合症，以及（ii）测试Vriesea的遗传结构是否由地理（纬度和海拔异质性）或生态（授粉综合症）驱动。我们分析了 58 个Vriesea物种的 11 种花性状，并对Vriesea授粉生物学进行了文献调查。使用叶绿体（ rps16-trnk和matK ）和核（ PHYC ）分子标记推断单倍型的谱系并进行系统发育分析。花性状准确地预测了Vriesea传粉昆虫的功能群。遗传分组与不同的授粉综合征相匹配。在这些群体之间发现了处于中间位置的物种，它们具有相同的单倍型，并且在形态上与典型的蜂鸟和蝙蝠授粉的Vriesea花不同。系统发育揭示了中度到良好支持的进化枝，可以解释为物种复合体。我们的结果表明传粉者在推动Vriesea进化枝中的生态隔离中发挥着作用。早期的物种形成和不完整的谱系分类可以解释形态学定义的物种内部和之间的整体低遗传差异，从而妨碍了明确物种边界的识别。 具有混合花型的中间物种可能代表了传粉媒介综合症之间转变的窗口。这项研究报告了形态遗传连续体，这可能是生物多样性热点地区正在进行的传粉媒介驱动的物种形成的典型特征。