Phylogenomics and trait evolution illuminate the diversification and systematics of Discocactus (Cactaceae)

Understanding how plant traits mediate adaptation and diversification across contrasting environments remains a major challenge in evolutionary ecology. This gap is especially evident in the Neotropics, where Savannas and Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs), represented here by the Cerrado and Caatinga phytogeographic domains, differ markedly in climate and ecological filters, yet remain underrepresented in trait-based evolutionary studies. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of Discocactus (Cactaceae) to identify which morphological characters are associated with species occurrence across these contrasting biomes and to place these patterns within a phylogenetic and temporal framework.

We generated a time-calibrated phylogenomic hypothesis for Discocactus using the Cactaceae591 probe set and integrated predictive machine learning, ancestral state reconstruction, and phylogenetic comparative analyses to identify morphological characters associated with species occurrence in the Savanna and SDTF biomes.

We recovered the first dated phylogeny for Discocactus, providing evidence for the recognition of 16 distinct species, including the reinstatement of D. boomianus. Divergence-time analyses indicate that the genus originated in the Pliocene and diversified rapidly during the Plio-Pleistocene transition, particularly within a major Savanna-associated clade. Across analyses, flower length and stem diameter emerged as the main morphological characters associated with biome occupancy. Both characters also showed significant associations with climatic variation in phylogenetically informed regression analyses, with SDTF species tending to have shorter flowers and smaller stems than Savanna species.

Our results provide a robust phylogenomic framework for interpreting diversification in Discocactus and show that morphological differentiation within the genus is associated with ecological contrasts between Neotropical SDTF and Savanna biomes. By integrating phylogenomics, predictive modeling, and phylogenetic comparative methods, this study highlights how genomic and trait-based approaches can help explain character evolution and diversification across contrasting environments.