Abstract:
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Centaurea subsection Phalolepis has been thoroughly analyzed in previous studies using
microsatellites in four centers of speciation: Anatolia, Greece, the Italian Peninsula and the Iberian
Peninsula. Evidence suggests a correlation between taxon diversity and mountains. This group
constituted a good case study for examining the mountain–geobiodiversity hypothesis (MGH), which
explains the possible reasons for the many radiations occurring in mountains across the world. We
combined all the datasets and carried out analyses of their genetic structure to confirm the species of
subsect. Phalolepis are grouped according to a geographic pattern. We then checked whether climatic
fluctuations favored the “species pump” hypothesis in the mountains by using the Climatic Stability
Index (CSI). Finally, the relief of the terrain was tested against the rate of allopatric speciation by
region by means of Terrain Ruggedness Index and environmental gradients through our new Climate
Niche Breadth Index. Our results supported the MGH hypothesis and confirmed that the main
triggers, namely altitudinal zonation, climatic oscillations and rugged terrain, must be present for the
development of a radiation. |