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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/science/
baobab-trees-evolution.html

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Trilobites

The Unusual Evolutionary Journey of the Baobab Tree

New research shows the "upside-down trees" originated in Madagascar
and then caught a ride on ocean currents to reach mainland Africa and
Australia.

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Tall, wild baobab trees line a dirt road with a motorcycle riding
through it at sunset.
The "Avenue of the Baobabs," a natural reserve of Grandidier's
baobabs near Morondava, Madagascar.Credit...Baz Ratner/Reuters

By Rachel Nuwer

May 15, 2024

Baobabs are one of the most charismatic trees on Earth, thanks in
part to their unusual appearance. Their cartoonishly thick trunks are
conspicuously oversized relative to their diminutive crowns, earning
them the nickname "upside-down trees." They can also live for
thousands of years, contributing to their prominent place in cultural
traditions and works of art.

For all the tales told about baobabs, though, their origin story has
remained a mystery.

Scientists have debated for years how baobabs wound up in the places
where they grow. Eight species exist around the world, and their
distribution, like the trees themselves, is unusual: One species
occurs across much of mainland Africa, while six are in Madagascar.
The last is found faraway, in northwestern Australia.

Most researchers have hypothesized that the trees originated on
mainland Africa. But findings published Wednesday in the journal
Nature tell a different story. Baobabs instead most likely first
evolved in Madagascar, where they diversified into different species.
Two then embarked on long-distance oceanic journeys to distant
continents.

"Madagascar is this wonderful natural laboratory," said Tao Wan, a
botanist at the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences and an author of the new study. He added, "In the case of
baobabs, some very special geographical history on the island
contributed to the species' diversity."

Dr. Wan and his colleagues sequenced the genomes of all eight baobab
species and then used those data to understand how the trees evolved.
They also investigated ecological factors that influenced the
distribution of baobabs around Madagascar.

Their results indicate that baobabs' common ancestor most likely
arose in Madagascar around 21 million years ago. Competition with
other plant life and factors like altitude, temperature,
precipitation and volcanic activity caused new baobab species to
emerge across Madagascar, as did fluctuating sea levels during
various ice ages.

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