Diversity on a small scale: phylogeography of the locally endemic dwarf succulent genus <i>Oophytum</i> (Aizoaceae) in the Knersvlakte of South Africa

Oophytum is an exceptional example of an extremely fast-evolving genus that illustrates the high speciation rate of the Ruschioideae and their success as one of the leading plant groups of the drought-prone Succulent Karoo Biome. The survival strategy of these dwarf quartz-field endemics is an interplay of adaptation to diverse island habitats, highly restricted gene flow, occasional long-distance dispersal, migration, founder effects and hybridisation events within a small and restricted area caused by glacial and interglacial changing climate conditions from the Pleistocene to the Present. These findings have important implications for future conservation management strategies.