Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example
The Andean mountains are ‘center stage’ to some of the most spectacular examples of plant diversifications, where geographic isolation and past climatic fluctuations have played a major role. However, the influence of Andean geography and climate as drivers of metabolic variation in Andean plants is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Metabolites |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/11/4/220 |
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| author | Guillermo F. Padilla-González Mauricio Diazgranados Fernando B. Da Costa |
| author_facet | Guillermo F. Padilla-González Mauricio Diazgranados Fernando B. Da Costa |
| author_sort | Guillermo F. Padilla-González |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Andean mountains are ‘center stage’ to some of the most spectacular examples of plant diversifications, where geographic isolation and past climatic fluctuations have played a major role. However, the influence of Andean geography and climate as drivers of metabolic variation in Andean plants is poorly elucidated. Here, we studied the influence of those factors on the metabolome of the subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry data of over two hundred samples from multiple locations. Our results demonstrate that metabolic profiles can discriminate Espeletiinae taxa at different geographic scales, revealing inter- and intraspecific metabolic variations: at the country level, segregation between Colombian and Venezuelan taxa was observed; regionally, between páramo massifs; and locally, between páramo complexes. Metabolic differences in Espeletiinae were mainly explained by geographic isolation, although differences in taxonomic genera, temperature, and elevation, were also important. Furthermore, we found that different species inhabiting the same páramo complex showed stronger chemical similarities than the same species at different locations, corroborating that geographic isolation represents the main driver of metabolic change in Espeletiinae. The current study serves as a starting point to fill in the gaps in how Andean geography and climate have shaped the metabolism of its vegetation and reveal the potential of untargeted metabolomics to study the environmental physiology of plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:36:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-599ea87efa3b48a0a0fcb4940b04931e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:36:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabolites |
| spelling | doaj.art-599ea87efa3b48a0a0fcb4940b04931e2023-11-21T14:13:56ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892021-04-0111422010.3390/metabo11040220Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case ExampleGuillermo F. Padilla-González0Mauricio Diazgranados1Fernando B. Da Costa2AsterBioChem Research Team, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto SP 14040-903, BrazilMillennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Ardingly, West Sussex, Haywards Heath RH17 6TN, UKAsterBioChem Research Team, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto SP 14040-903, BrazilThe Andean mountains are ‘center stage’ to some of the most spectacular examples of plant diversifications, where geographic isolation and past climatic fluctuations have played a major role. However, the influence of Andean geography and climate as drivers of metabolic variation in Andean plants is poorly elucidated. Here, we studied the influence of those factors on the metabolome of the subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry data of over two hundred samples from multiple locations. Our results demonstrate that metabolic profiles can discriminate Espeletiinae taxa at different geographic scales, revealing inter- and intraspecific metabolic variations: at the country level, segregation between Colombian and Venezuelan taxa was observed; regionally, between páramo massifs; and locally, between páramo complexes. Metabolic differences in Espeletiinae were mainly explained by geographic isolation, although differences in taxonomic genera, temperature, and elevation, were also important. Furthermore, we found that different species inhabiting the same páramo complex showed stronger chemical similarities than the same species at different locations, corroborating that geographic isolation represents the main driver of metabolic change in Espeletiinae. The current study serves as a starting point to fill in the gaps in how Andean geography and climate have shaped the metabolism of its vegetation and reveal the potential of untargeted metabolomics to study the environmental physiology of plants.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/11/4/220andesespeletiaenvironmentmetabolomicspáramo |
| spellingShingle | Guillermo F. Padilla-González Mauricio Diazgranados Fernando B. Da Costa Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example Metabolites andes espeletia environment metabolomics páramo |
| title | Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example |
| title_full | Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example |
| title_fullStr | Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example |
| title_short | Effect of the Andean Geography and Climate on the Specialized Metabolism of Its Vegetation: The Subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae) as a Case Example |
| title_sort | effect of the andean geography and climate on the specialized metabolism of its vegetation the subtribe espeletiinae asteraceae as a case example |
| topic | andes espeletia environment metabolomics páramo |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/11/4/220 |
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