The European Paleoendemic Haberlea rhodopensis (Gesneriaceae) Has an Oligocene Origin and a Pleistocene Diversification and Occurs in a Long-Persisting Refugial Area in Southeastern Europe

Premise of research. Even though the Balkan Peninsula is a biodiversity hot spot in southeastern Europe harboring many endemic plants, very little is known about the temporal extent of the phylogeographic history and the contemporary genetic diversity of the endemics there. Haberlea rhodopensis is one of the European Gesneriaceae species occurring in this region and represents appropriate study material to address these questions.Methodology. We generated fossil-dated molecular phylogenies (atpB-rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnLF, ITS) across the Lamiales to determine the origin and age of H. rhodopensis and conducted phylogeographic (trnH-psbA, ITS) and population genetic (ISSRs) analyses on 17 populations from Bulgaria and Greece, covering the entire distribution range of the species, to investigate their biogeographic history, present-day genetic diversity, and differentiation levels.Pivotal results. The European Gesneriaceae genera have a Tertiary origin in the early Oligocene, while the Haberlea lineage emerged ...