Are there any widespread endemic flowering plant species in Macaronesia? Phylogeography of Ranunculus cortusifolius

摘要

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Oceanic island endemics typically exhibit very restricted distributions. In Macaronesia, only one endemic angiosperm species, Ranunculus cortusifolius, has a distribution spanning the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, and Canaries. Earlier work suggested possible differences between archipelagos and the multiple origins of the species. This paper tests the hypothesis that R. cortusifolius is a single widespread Macaronesian endemic species with a single origin.