Global biogeography and diversification of a group of brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae) driven by clade-specific evolutionary processes
Christophe Vieira, Frederique Steen, Sofie D'hondt, Quinten Bafort, Cindy Fernandez-García, Brian Wysor, Lennert Tyberghein, Ana Tronholm, Lydiane Mattio, Claude Payri, Gary Saunders, Frederik Leliaert, Heroen Verbruggen & Olivier De Clerck
Aim: Historical processes that shaped current diversity patterns of seaweeds remain poorly understood. Using Dictyotales, a globally distributed order of brown seaweeds as a model, we test if historical biogeographical and diversification patterns are comparable across clades. Dictyotales contain some 22 genera, three of which, Dictyota, Lobophora and Padina, are exceptionally diverse. Specifically we test if the evolutionary processes in these clades that shaped their latitudinal diversity patterns are in line with the tropical conservatism,...