Panbiogeographic analysis of Enckea (Piperaceae), a small dry forest clade in the phylogeny of a big rainforest genus

Abstract

We performed a panbiogeographic analysis of the species of Piper that belong to the clade Enckea, aimingto establish a primary biogeographic homology hypothesis among Seasonal Dry Neotropical Forest (SDNF) areas ofthe Antilles, Central, and South America. We used 904 distribution records of 74 species to generate 50 individualtracks, 8 generalized tracks, and 4 nodes, which were located in different SDNF formations. The track analysis did notintegrate the SDNF under a common origin hypothesis. Instead, the results are congruent with different tectonic eventsindependently influencing diversification of plants and animals. The events that may explain the current distributionof species of Enckea include the rising of Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur, the stablishment of theMotagua-Polochic fault system, the rising of Cordillera de Talamanca, Panama’s Isthmus, and the fragmentation ofPanamazon by Northern Andean orogeny.