An examination of speciation and diversification of Indian Ocean daisy trees
Aug 20, 2012
Dr. Joeri Strijk, a postdoc of XTBG, led a study on the Indian Ocean daisy trees, with six other scientists, in Madagascar and the surrounding island archipelago.
Psiadia, the daisy trees, have been highly successful in dispersing to and radiating on isolated oceanic islands, typified by high habitat diversity and dynamic ecosystems fuelled by continued geological activity. Results stress the important biogeographical role for Rodrigues island in serving as an outlying stepping stone from which regional colonization took place.
The researchers discuss how isolated volcanic islands contribute to regional diversity by generating substantial numbers of endemic species on short temporal scales.
Factors pertaining to the mode and tempo of archipelago formation and its geographical isolation strongly govern evolutionary pathways available for species diversification, and the potential for successful diversification of dispersed lineages, therefore, appears highly dependent on the timing of arrival, as habitat and resource properties change dramatically over the course of oceanic island evolution.
The study entitled "In and out of Madagascar: Dispersal to Peripheral Islands, Insular Speciation and Diversification of Indian Ocean Daisy Trees (Psiadia, Asteraceae)" has been published in PLoS ONE,7(8): e42932. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042932
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