Abstract
Evolution and demographic history of plant populations are primarily influenced by climatic and geological events. However, evolutionary population dynamics of endemic herbaceous plants in East Africa remains unexplored. In this study, we integrated chloroplast genomes , environmental variables, and geographical distribution datasets to assess the evolutionary relationships and population dynamics of Sambucus africana Standl., an endemic medicinal herb in East African highlands. The findings showed that S. africana genomes exhibited typical quadripartite structures and contained 129 unique genes, including 88 protein-coding, 33 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. Population genomics revealed significant degree of intraspecific variations within isolated African-limit populations. The phylogenetic relationship of Dipsacales yielded significantly supported topologies (ML ≥ 83, BI ≥ 0.4) which strongly supported the monophyly of Sambucus. Major lineages of Viburnaceae were estimated to have diverged from the Late Cretaceous 80.89 Mya (95 % PHD = 68.90–91.99 Mya), while within-genus diversification was dated to Eocene and later. Ancestral area reconstruction revealed that the most probable ancestral area for Sambucus is Asia, with a secondary ancestral presence in North America, followed by diversification to other regions. Species distribution modeling indicated that under Shared Socio-Economic Pathway 585 (SSP585), the potentially suitable habitats for S. africana would significantly decline around Mt. Elgon parts of Uganda (western) and Kenya (central parts of Mt. Kenya) and southwestern parts of Ngorongoro conservation area relative to SSP126. Therefore, conservation units of western and eastern Mt. Elgon groups in Uganda, among other distributional regions in Kenya and Tanzania should be established for this endemic medicinal herb.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
S. africana plastomes have typical quadripartite structure and 129 unique genes.
- Taxon
- S. africana
Sambucus ebulus subsp. africanae0 - Outcome
- unique genese0
- Value
- 129e0
- Qualifier
- typical quadripartite structurese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“S. africana genomes exhibited typical quadripartite structures and contained 129 unique genes, including 88 protein-coding, 33 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs”
Claim · model-written summary
The plastomes contain 88 protein coding genes.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- protein-codinge0
- Value
- 88e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“contained 129 unique genes, including 88 protein-coding, 33 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs”
t0“Sambucus africana”
Claim · model-written summary
The plastomes contain 33 tRNAs.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- tRNAse0
- Value
- 33e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“33 tRNAs”
t0“Sambucus africana”
Claim · model-written summary
The plastomes contain eight rRNAs.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- rRNAse0
- Value
- 8e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“8 rRNAs”
t0“Sambucus africana”
Claim · model-written summary
Isolated African limit populations showed substantial intraspecific variation.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- intraspecific variationse0
- Setting
- isolated African-limit populationse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant degree of intraspecific variations within isolated African-limit populations”
t0“Sambucus africana”
Claim · model-written summary
Phylogenetic analysis strongly supported Sambucus monophyly.
_in_Tashkent_Botanical_Garden.jpg?width=60){kind=small}
SambucusOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_in_Tashkent_Botanical_Garden.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“significantly supported topologies (ML ≥ 83, BI ≥ 0.4) which strongly supported the monophyly of Sambucus”
Claim · model-written summary
Viburnaceae major lineages diverged around 80.89 Mya.
Verbatim
e0“Major lineages of Viburnaceae were estimated to have diverged from the Late Cretaceous 80.89 Mya (95 % PHD = 68.90–91.99 Mya)”
Claim · model-written summary
Within genus diversification was dated to the Eocene or later.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- within-genus diversificatione0
- Value
- Eocene and latere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“within-genus diversification was dated to Eocene and later”
t0“Sambucus africana”
Claim · model-written summary
Ancestral reconstruction placed the most probable Sambucus origin in Asia.
- Outcome
- most probable ancestral areae0
- Qualifier
- secondary ancestral presence in North Americae0
- Setting
- Asiae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the most probable ancestral area for Sambucus is Asia, with a secondary ancestral presence in North America”
Claim · model-written summary
Under SSP585, suitable S. africana habitat is projected to decline relative to SSP126 in the named East African regions.
- Taxon
- S. africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanae0
- Outcome
- potentially suitable habitatse0
- Direction
- declinee0
- Comparator
- SSP126e0
- Setting
- Mt. Elgon parts of Uganda (western) and Kenya (central parts of Mt. Kenya) and southwestern parts of Ngorongoro conservation areae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“under Shared Socio-Economic Pathway 585 (SSP585), the potentially suitable habitats for S. africana would significantly decline around Mt. Elgon parts of Uganda (western) and Kenya (central parts of Mt. Kenya) and southwestern parts of Ngorongoro conservation area relative to SSP126”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend conservation units for western and eastern Mt. Elgon groups.
- Taxon
- Sambucus africanaSambucus ebulus subsp. africanat0
- Outcome
- conservation units of western and eastern Mt. Elgon groups in Uganda, among other distributional regions in Kenya and Tanzania should be establishede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“conservation units of western and eastern Mt. Elgon groups in Uganda, among other distributional regions in Kenya and Tanzania should be established for this endemic medicinal herb”
t0“Sambucus africana”