Phylogenetic and Biogeographic History of Araucariaceae Inferred from Chloroplast Genome Sequences

We generated complete or nearly complete chloroplast genome sequences from 26 species in the Araucariaceae. These data supported a well-resolved, well-supported, and completely congruent estimate of phylogeny by parsimony, likelihood, and bayesian inference. Dating divergence events suggests that major splits in the family are driven by the break up of Gondwana. Dates for the radiation of New Caledonian species of both Agathis and Araucaria, as well as the presence of Agathis australis in New Zealand and the date of its divergence, suggests that New Caledonia and New Zealand may not have been totally submerged during the Cenozoic.