A large number of taxa have undergone evolutionary radiations in mountainous areas, rendering alpine systems particularly suitable to study the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that have shaped diversification patterns in plants. The species-rich genus Saxifraga L. is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with high species numbers in the regions adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in particular the Hengduan Mountains and the Himalayas. Using a dataset of 297 taxa (representing at least 60% of extant Saxifraga species), we explored the variation of infrageneric diversification rates. In addition, we used state-dependent speciation and extinction models to test the effects of geographic distribution in the Hengduan Mountains and the entire QTP region as well as of two morphological traits (cushion habit and specialized lime-secreting glands, so-called hydathodes) on the diversification of this genus. We detected two to three rate shifts across the Saxifraga phylogeny and two of these shifts led to radiations within two large subclades of Saxifraga, sect. Ciliatae Haworth subsect. Hirculoideae Engl. & Irmsch. and sect. Porphyrion Tausch subsect. Kabschia Engl. GEOSSE analyses showed that presence in the Hengduan Mountains had a positive effect on diversification across Saxifraga. Influence of these mountains was strongest in Saxifraga sect. Ciliatae subsect. Hirculoideae given its pronounced distribution there, and thus the radiation in this group can be classified at least partially as geographic. In contrast, the evolution of the cushion life form and lime-secreting hydathodes had positive effects on diversification only in selected Saxifraga sections, including sect. Porphyrion subsect. Kabschia. We therefore argue that radiation in this group was likely adaptive. Our study underlines the complexity of processes and factors underpinning plant radiations: Even in closely related lineages occupying the same life zone, shifts in diversification are not necessarily governed by similar factors. In conclusion, alpine plant radiations result from a complex interaction among geographical settings and/or climatic modifications providing key opportunities for diversification as well as the evolution of key innovations.

Association mapping studies have enabled researchers to identify candidate loci for many important environmental tolerance factors, including agronomically relevant tolerance traits in plants. However, traditional genome-by-environment studies such as these require a phenotyping pipeline which is capable of accurately measuring stress responses, typically in an automated high-throughput context using image processing. In this work, we present Latent Space Phenotyping (LSP), a novel phenotyping method which is able to automatically detect and quantify response-to-treatment directly from images. We demonstrate example applications using data from an interspecific cross of the model C₄ grass Setaria, a diversity panel of sorghum (S. bicolor), and the founder panel for a nested association mapping population of canola (Brassica napus L.). Using two synthetically generated image datasets, we then show that LSP is able to successfully recover the simulated QTL in both simple and complex synthetic imagery. We propose LSP as an alternative to traditional image analysis methods for phenotyping, enabling the phenotyping of arbitrary and potentially complex response traits without the need for engineering-complicated image-processing pipelines.

Evolutionary processes fuelling rapid species diversification are not yet fully understood, although their major contribution to overall patterns of plant biodiversity is well established. Hybridisation is among the least understood of these processes, despite its multifaceted role in speciation processes being widely accepted. Species of the large arctic-alpine genus Saxifraga are notorious for their ability to hybridise; however, the overall role of hybridisation and polyploidisation for the diversification of this genus remains unknown. Here, we provide a comprehensive genus-wide review of hybridisation accounts and ploidy levels. We find that the sections of Saxifraga vary greatly in their propensity to hybridise. The majority of natural hybridisation accounts are from recent localised events (n = 71). Hybridisation hotspots were located in the Pyrenees and the European Alps, thus contrasting with the overall distribution of species richness in the genus. Hybrids or hybrid populations are often short-lived in Saxifraga due to a multitude of reproductive barriers, most commonly low F₁ hybrid fertility. However, these barriers are not always fully effective, allowing for backcrossing and the formation of hybrid swarms. In addition, we find that the incidence of polyploidy varies widely across different sections of Saxifraga, with species-rich sections Porphyrion and Saxifraga showing divergent polyploidy proportions. Overall, we show that hybridisation and polyploidisation played differential roles in the diversification of this large genus. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of species are yet to be scrutinised, particularly among the Asian Saxifraga species, illustrating the need for systematic further study to fully unravel the role of hybridisation during the evolution of Saxifraga.

Mountains are reservoirs for a tremendous biodiversity which was fostered by a suite of factors acting in concert throughout evolutionary times. These factors can be climatic, geological, or biotic, but the way they combine through time to generate diversity remains unknown. Here, we investigate these factors as correlates of diversification of three closely related sections ofGentianain the European Alpine System. Based upon phylogenetic approaches coupled with divergence dating and ancestral state reconstructions, we attempted to identify the role of bedrock preferences, chromosome numbers coupled with relative genome sizes estimates, as well as morphological features through time. We also investigated extant climatic preferences using a heavily curated set of occurrence records individually selected for superior precision, and quantified rates of climatic niche evolution in each section. We found that a number of phylogenetic incongruences derail the identification of correlates of diversification, yet a number of patterns persist regardless of the topology considered. All the studied correlates are likely to have contributed to the diversification ofGentianain Europe, however, their respective importance varied through time and across clades. Chromosomal variation and divergence of climatic preferences appear to correlate with diversification throughout the evolution of EuropeanGentiana(Oligocene to present), whereas shifts in bedrock preferences appear to have been more defining during recent diversification (Pliocene). Overall, a complex interaction among climatic, geological and biotic attributes appear to have supported the diversification ofGentianaacross the mountains of Europe, which based upon phylogenetic as well as other evidence, was probably also bolstered by hybridization.

Premise: Plants produce a tremendous variety of secondary compounds that are crucial to interspecific and intraspecific interactions and for adaptation to environmental changes. This chemical diversity has been attributed to multiple factors, including interactions with herbivores or pollinators, tissue‐specific needs, and evolutionary constraints. The interplay between a vast array of factors driving plant chemodiversity remains unclear, mainly because most studies have focused on a single organ—mostly leaves—or, when comparing different organs, have been limited to single taxa. Thus, the relationship between functional and phylogenetic factors remains unresolved. We use a model system of Ficus from Madagascar to examine the extent to which phytochemical diversity is shaped by tissue‐specific function and the degree to which phylogenetic relatedness explains variation in fruit and leaf chemodiversity.Methods: We applied an untargeted metabolomics approach to unripe fruits (the syconium, a hollow structure containing numerous small flowers) and leaves from eight species of wild figs (Ficus spp.) sampled in a tropical rainforest in Madagascar. We characterized their chemical profiles using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and reconstructed their phylogeny using six genetic markers to understand the patterns of chemodiversity.Results: Fruit and leaf metabolomes were more similar to the same organ in other species than to the other organs within the same species. There was a significant but moderate phylogenetic correlation in fruit and leaf chemodiversity.Conclusions: Although phylogenetic relatedness influences plant chemodiversity in Malagasy figs, functional convergence of tissue‐specific metabolites may be a major evolutionary driver.