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An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV
Abstract
An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) classification of the orders and families of angiosperms is presented. Several new orders are recognized: Boraginales, Dilleniales, Icacinales, Metteniusiales and Vahliales. This brings the total number of orders and families recognized in the APG system to 64 and 416, respectively. We propose two additional informal major clades, superrosids and superasterids, that each comprise the additional orders that are included in the larger clades dominated by the rosids and asterids. Families that made up potentially monofamilial orders, Dasypogonaceae and Sabiaceae, are instead referred to Arecales and Proteales, respectively. Two parasitic families formerly of uncertain positions are now placed: Cynomoriaceae in Saxifragales and Apodanthaceae in Cucurbitales. Although there is evidence that some families recognized in APG III are not monophyletic, we make no changes in Dioscoreales and Santalales relative to APG III and leave some genera in Lamiales unplaced (e.g. Peltanthera). These changes in familial circumscription and recognition have all resulted from new results published since APG III, except for some changes simply due to nomenclatural issues, which include substituting Asphodelaceae for Xanthorrhoeaceae (Asparagales) and Francoaceae for Melianthaceae (Geraniales); however, in Francoaceae we also include Bersamaceae, Ledocarpaceae, Rhynchothecaceae and Vivianiaceae. Other changes to family limits are not drastic or numerous and are mostly focused on some members of the lamiids, especially the former Icacinaceae that have long been problematic with several genera moved to the formerly monogeneric Metteniusaceae, but minor changes in circumscription include Aristolochiaceae (now including Lactoridaceae and Hydnoraceae; Aristolochiales), Maundiaceae (removed from Juncaginaceae; Alismatales), Restionaceae (now re-including Anarthriaceae and Centrolepidaceae; Poales), Buxaceae (now including Haptanthaceae; Buxales), Peraceae (split from Euphorbiaceae; Malpighiales), recognition of Petenaeaceae (Huerteales), Kewaceae, Limeaceae, Macarthuriaceae and Microteaceae (all Caryophyllales), Petiveriaceae split from Phytolaccaceae (Caryophyllales), changes to the generic composition of Ixonanthaceae and Irvingiaceae (with transfer of Allantospermum from the former to the latter; Malpighiales), transfer of Pakaraimaea (formerly Dipterocarpaceae) to Cistaceae (Malvales), transfer of Borthwickia, Forchhammeria, Stixis and Tirania (formerly all Capparaceae) to Resedaceae (Brassicales), Nyssaceae split from Cornaceae (Cornales), Pteleocarpa moved to Gelsemiaceae (Gentianales), changes to the generic composition of Gesneriaceae (Sanango moved from Loganiaceae) and Orobanchaceae (now including Lindenbergiaceae and Rehmanniaceae) and recognition of Mazaceae distinct from Phrymaceae (all Lamiales).
Supplementary resource (1)
... Initially, members of the Cordiaceae were included within the Boraginaceae family as subfamilies of the Cordioideae [3][4][5][6]. This taxonomic treatment is still recognized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) and some phylogenetic studies [7][8][9]. On the other hand, a number of phylogenetic studies have identified Cordiaceae as a distinct family in the order Boraginales [10][11][12][13]. Previous studies on the phylogenetic relationships of the Cordiaceae family have totally relied on a small number of nuclear DNA, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genes [14]. ...
... The second clade consists of Cordiaceae, Ehretiaceae, and Heliotropiaceae; Cordiaceae resolved as sister to Ehretiaceae, which is consistent with previous phylogenetic studies [56,87]. Our results support treating the order Boraginales to include several distinct families, consistent with a number of recent molecular studies [1,12,56,88] and contrary to what the APG IV system suggested, which treated the Boraginales to include only one family, Boraginaceae [9]. ...
Cordiaceae is a family comprising more than 400 species in the order Boraginales. The classification of this family has undergone changes over time, transitioning between family and subfamily status. In the present study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of Cordia monoica and Cordia sinensis were sequenced, and their cp genomes were then characterized, analyzed, and compared to those of closely related taxa. The lengths of the cp genomes of C. monoica and C. sinensis were 151,813 bp and 152,050 bp, respectively. Both genomes consisted of 114 genes, divided into 4 ribosomal RNA genes, 30 transfer RNA genes, and 80 protein-coding genes. We observed a unique gene inversion in the trnM-rbcL region of both Cordia species. The long repeats analysis revealed that both species’ chloroplast genomes contained forward and palindromic repeats. The simple sequence repeats (SSRs) analysis detected 155 microsatellites in each genome, with the majority being mononucleotide repeats (A/T). Phylogenetic analysis based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses confirmed two major clades in the order Boraginales: clade I comprised Boraginaceae, while clade II included Cordiaceae, Ehretiaceae, and Heliotropiaceae. This study expands our knowledge of the evolutionary relationships across the order Boraginales and offers useful genetic resources.
... Ceratophyllum submersum L., commonly known as soft hornwort, is a subaquatic plant whose genus is the only extant member in the order of Ceratophyllales, placed as a sister clade to the eudicots [1,2]. It is native to Europe, Africa and Asia and grows in stagnant freshwater bodies [3]. ...
... The phylogenetic tree (Fig. 2, for full tree see Additional file 4) classifies C. submersum close to its reference C. demersum and our D. purpurea plastome assembly close to the RefSeq D. purpurea plastome sequence generated by Zhao et al. [17]. The angiosperm clade is represented in accordance with the current APG IV classification except for the exact separation/placement of the Magnoliids and the Chloranthales, which is still controversial [2]. This underlines the significance of plastome sequences for modern plant phylogenetics [18]. ...
Objective
Eutrophication poses a mounting concern in today’s world. Ceratophyllum submersum L. is one of many plants capable of living in eutrophic conditions, therefore it could play a critical role in addressing the problem of eutrophication. This study aimed to take a first genomic look at C. submersum .
Results
Sequencing of gDNA from C. submersum yielded enough reads to assemble a plastome. Subsequent annotation and phylogenetic analysis validated existing information regarding angiosperm relationships and the positioning of Ceratophylalles in a wider phylogenetic context.
... to ensure scientific integrity and updating to current corrected nomenclature. The plant family assignments align to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV guidance (Group et al., 2016). ...
Background
Mastitis is a disease of economic importance in dairy production systems. The common management regime for mastitis is the use of synthetic antibiotics, giving a new problem of antibiotic resistance. There is, therefore, a need to prospect for alternatives to conventional antibiotics from herbal plants.
Objectives
This systematic review evaluates the use of plants as alternatives for the control of mastitis in dairy cattle, focussing on the effectiveness of studied plants and plant‐based products and possible implications on the use of these products in livestock health.
Methodology
The PRISMA model was implemented with searches done in five electronic databases: Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Ovid and Research4Life. Data were extracted from 45 studies with 112 plant species from plant species belonging to 42 different families. The specific keywords were 'mastitis', 'dairy cows' and 'medicinal plants'.
Results
The most cited plant species included Allium sativum L., Azadirachta indica and Eucalyptus globulus Labill with the latter further exploring its components. Microbial species causing mastitis mainly were Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . The extraction methods used included maceration approach using ethanol, methanol and water as solvents for phytochemicals and chromatographic techniques for essential oils. A few studies explored the mode of action, and toxicities of the herbal extracts as well as evaluating their efficacy in clinical trials using animal models.
Conclusion
Plants with defined levels of phytochemicals were essential sources of antibacterials. Standardisation of analytical methods is required.
... As in Mienna et al. (2020), we rooted the tree using Pteridophyta. The resulting tree was verified by comparing it to the plant family phylogeny by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (APG IV, Chase et al. 2016;Stevens 2001). In cases where an accession was misplaced according to the APG IV phylogeny or genus assignment or occurred on relatively long branches, the alignment was checked for obvious errors in homology inference. ...
Protected areas are one of the main strategic means for conserving biodiversity. Yet, the design of protected areas usually neglects phylogenetic diversity, an important diversity measure. In this paper we assess the phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants in Fennoscandian protected areas. We evaluate how much species richness and phylogenetic diversity is found within and outside protected areas, and the differences in plant diversity between different categories of protected areas. We also assess the differences in the diversity-area relationship of the different protected area categories in terms of both species richness and phylogenetic diversity. We build a multi-locus phylogeny of 1,519 native vascular plants of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. We estimate the phylogenetic diversity and species richness by combining the phylogeny with publicly available occurrence data and the currently protected area system of Fennoscandia. Our results indicate that protected areas in Fennoscandia hold more plant diversity when larger, and that phylogenetic diversity increases faster with area than species richness. We found evidence for more plant diversity outside of protected areas of the different countries of Fennoscandia than inside of protected areas, but no evidence for plant diversity differences between areas with different protection status. Hence, our results indicate that the current protected area system in Fennoscandia is no more effective in conserving phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants than a random selection of localities. Our results also indicate that planning conservation strategies around phylogenetic diversity, rather than species richness, might be a first step to protect vascular plant diversity more effectively.
... These uncertainties are magnified in angiosperms due to their extreme richness, complex evolution, and unresolved backbone topology and the timings of early divergences [28,33]. Analysing a sample of plausible angiosperm-wide phylogenies is currently intractable, but the two mega-phylogenies we used capture wide variation in divergence estimates while comprehensively sampling extant diversity and covering the deeper nodes in the phylogeny, which is crucial for the hypotheses we tested: the SB tree samples greater than 10 000 of the known greater than 13 000 genera in 401 of 416 families [40], while QJ samples approximately 7900 genera in 401 families. Regardless of which crown group age estimate for angiosperms we considered, numerous major lineages survive the K-Pg [8,27], and no difference in dynamics were recovered between phylogenies (figure 1). ...
The Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction event (K-Pg) witnessed upwards of 75% of animal species going extinct, most notably among these are the non-avian dinosaurs. A major question in macroevolution is whether this extinction event influenced the rise of flowering plants (angiosperms). The fossil record suggests that the K-Pg event had a strong regional impact on angiosperms with up to 75% species extinctions, but only had a minor impact on the extinction rates of major lineages (families and orders). Phylogenetic evidence for angiosperm extinction dynamics through time remains unexplored. By analysing two angiosperm mega-phylogenies containing approximately 32 000–73 000 extant species, here we show relatively constant extinction rates throughout geological time and no evidence for a mass extinction at the K-Pg boundary. Despite high species-level extinction observed in the fossil record, our results support the macroevolutionary resilience of angiosperms to the K-Pg mass extinction event via survival of higher lineages.
... The genomic age has made it clear that reticulate evolution is pervasive in the tree of life, and a strictly bifurcating phylogeny is rarely the best representation of evolution (Morales-Briones et al., 2021;Cooper et al., 2022;Debray et al., 2022;Smith et al., 2022;Zhao et al., 2022). Many different taxonomic hierarchies have been rearranged in the past decades as we have gained access to more genomic data and inference methods, such as for the flowering plants (APG: Byng et al., 2016), pteridophytes (PPG: Schuettpelz et al., 2016), birds (Jarvis et al., 2014), and mammals (Upham et al., 2019). ...
Phylogenetic studies in the phylogenomics era have demonstrated that reticulate evolution greatly impedes the accuracy of phylogenetic inference, and consequently can obscure taxonomic treatments. However, the systematics community lacks a broadly applicable strategy for taxonomic delimitation in groups characterized by pervasive reticulate evolution. The red-fruit genus, Stranvaesia, provides an ideal model to examine the influence of reticulation on generic circumscription, particularly where hybridization and allopolyploidy dominate the evolutionary history. In this study, we conducted phylogenomic analyses integrating data from hundreds of single-copy nuclear (SCN) genes and plastomes, and interrogated nuclear paralogs to clarify the inter/intra-generic relationship of Stranvaesia and its allies in the framework of Maleae. Analyses of phylogenomic discord and phylogenetic networks showed that allopolyploidization and introgression promoted the origin and diversification of the Stranvaesia clade, a conclusion further bolstered by cytonuclear and gene tree discordance. With a well-inferred phylogenetic backbone, we propose an updated generic delimitation of Stranvaesia and introduce a new genus, Weniomeles. This new genus is distinguished by its purple-black fruits, thorns trunk and/or branches, and a distinctive fruit core anatomy characterized by multilocular separated by a layer of sclereids and a cluster of sclereids at the top of the locules. Through this study, we highlight a broadly-applicable workflow that underscores the significance of reticulate evolution analyses in shaping taxonomic revisions from phylogenomic data.
... Salicornieae are one of four tribes currently classified in subfamily Salicornioideae (Morales-Briones et al. 2021) in Amaranthaceae s.l. (APG IV 2016; including the former Chenopodiaceae). Salicornieae comprise c. 100 species (Piirainen et al. 2017), some of which are referred to as samphires (notably species of Salicornia L. and Tecticornia Hook.f.). ...
Low temperature constitutes one of the main barriers to plant distributions, confining many clades to their ancestrally tropical biome. However, recent evidence suggests that transitions from tropical to temperate biomes may be more frequent than previously thought. Here, we study the evolution of cold and frost tolerance in the globally distributed and highly stress-tolerant Salicornieae (Salicornioideae, Amaranthaceae s.l.). We first generate a phylogenetic tree comprising almost all known species (85-90%), using newly generated (n = 106) and published nuclear-ribosomal and plastid sequences. Next, we use geographical occurrence data to document in which clades and geographical regions cold-tolerant species occur and reconstruct how cold tolerance evolved. Finally, we test for correlated evolution between frost tolerance and the annual life form. We find that frost tolerance has evolved independently in up to four Northern Hemisphere lineages but that annuals are no more likely to evolve frost tolerance than perennials, indicating the presence of different strategies for adapting to cold environments. Our findings add to mounting evidence for multiple independent out-of-the-tropics transitions among close relatives of flowering plants and raise new questions about the ecological and physiological mechanism(s) of adaptation to low temperatures in Salicornieae.
... Excluding non-native species, the final matrix consisted of 5244 records belonging to 1131 genera and 170 families. The names of all species were standardized using the R [80] software package 'plantlist' [81], with the order of families based on the nomenclature of Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV [82]. ...
Floristic regions, conventionally established using species distribution patterns, have often overlooked the phylogenetic relationships among taxa. However, how phylogenetic relationships influence the historical interconnections within and among biogeographic regions remains inadequately understood. In this research, we compiled distribution data for seed plants in Gansu, a region of significant biogeographic diversity located in northwestern China.We proposed a novel framework for floristic regions within Gansu, integrating distribution data and phylogenetic relationships of genera-level native seed plants, aiming to explore the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness, taxonomic composition, and regional phylogenetic delineation. We found that (1) phylogenetic relatedness was strongly correlated with the taxonomic composition among floras in Gansu. (2) The southeastern Gansu region showed the lowest level of spatial turnover in both phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic composition of floristic assemblages across the Gansu region. (3) Null model analyses indicated nonrandom phylogenetic structure across the region, where most areas showed higher phylogenetic turnover than expected given the underlying taxonomic composition between sites. (4) Our results demonstrated a consistent pattern across various regionalization schemes and highlighted the preference for employing the phylogenetic dissimilarity approach in biogeographical regionalization investigations. (5) Employing the phylogenetic dissimilarity approach, we identified nine distinct floristic regions in Gansu that are categorized into two broader geographical units, namely the northwest and southeast. (6) Based on the phylogenetic graphic regions of China across this area.
... Bitkilerden elde edilen geleneksel ilaçlar, bu bitkilerde var olan biyoaktif bileşiklerden dolayı hayati öneme sahiptir (Yuan et al., 2020). Taksonomik olarak Sambucus L. cinsi Viburnaceae familyasının bir üyesi olarak kabul edilmiş (Chase et al., 2016), yaklaşık 29 tür ve belirsiz 77 tür olarak dünya çapında dağılım göstermektedir (GBIF, n.d.; POWO, n.d.). Tükçede Mürver İngilzcede ise Elders veya Elderberries olarak adlandırılır. ...
Günümüzde Kara Mürver meyve ve çiçeklerinin en sık kullanımı gıda endüstrisinde renklendiricileri, meyve suları ve tatlandırıcı olmasına rağmen, meyve, çiçekler veya bunların ekstrelerinin fitokimyasal bileşimleri nedeniyle, nutrasötik içerik olarak kullanılan gıda takviyelerinin üretimi için potansiyel kullanımlarının yanı sıra ilaç endüstrisinde yüksek bir potansiyele sahiptirler. Aslında S. nigra, halk tıpında farklı hastalıklar tedavisi için yüzyıllardır kullanılmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, kullanımının ve değerinin genişletilmesi için, bitki meyve ve çiçeği fitokimyasallarının biyoyararlanımı, biyolojik aktiviteleri ve bunların moleküler mekanizmalar ve fitokimyasal bileşimi ile korelasyonu ile ilgili daha fazla araştırmaya ihtiyaç vardır. Ülkemizde de gıda ve sağlık alanında kullanımının artması, üretim ve tüketiminin yaygınlaştırılması amaçlı çalışmalar önem kazanmaktadır.
... Although data-driven research is slowly becoming more theoretical and predictive (Hogeweg, 2011), the creation of universal plant models is hindered by their overwhelming diversity. Not only is the phylogenetic diversity among flowering plants immense (The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group et al., 2016), but plants are exceptionally responsive to their environments (Sultan, 2000) and have evolved symbiotic interactions with and defense mechanisms against innumerable microbes (Mitchell et al., 2006). Furthermore, technical variability in data acquisition makes it difficult to exploit the huge amount of expression data archived in databases. ...
The selection of Arabidopsis as a model organism played a pivotal role in advancing genomic science, firmly establishing the cornerstone of modern plant molecular biology. Competing frameworks to select an agricultural- or ecological-based model species, or to decentralize plant science and study a multitude of diverse species, were selected against in favor of building core knowledge in a species that would facilitate genome-enabled research that could assumedly be transferred to other plants. Here, over twenty years after sequencing the Arabidopsis genome and during which time sequencing data from other plant species has accumulated and computation enabling machine learning has evolved, we critically examine the ability of models based on Arabidopsis gene expression data to predict tissue identity in other flowering plant species. Comparing different machine learning algorithms, models trained and tested on Arabidopsis data achieved precision and recall values of up to 0.99 using the K-Nearest Neighbor method, whereas when tissue identity is predicted across the flowering plants using models trained on Arabidopsis data, precision values range from 0.70 to 0.75 and recall from 0.55 to 0.64, depending on the algorithm used. Below-ground tissue is more predictable than other tissue types, and the ability to predict tissue identity is not correlated with phylogenetic distance from Arabidopsis. Our data-driven results suggest that, in hindsight, the assertion that knowledge from Arabidopsis is translatable to other plants is not as strong as originally assumed, and that in the current era where sequencing data and computation abound, we should decentralize the scientific focus on Arabidopsis and embrace plant diversity.
Tiandong is a vital traditional Chinese herbal medicine. It is derived from the tuber root of the Asparagus cochinchinensis according to the Pharmacopoeia of the people’s republic of China (2020 Edition). On account of the similar morphology, Asparagus meioclados and Asparagus munitus were used as Tian-Dong in southwest China. Chloroplast (cp) genomes are highly active genetic components of plants and play an extremely important role in improving the efficiency of the identification of plant species. To differentiate the medicinal plants belonging to the genus Asparagus, we sequenced and analyzed the complete plastomes (plastid genomes) of A. meioclados and A. munitus and obtained two plastomes whose length changed to 156,515 bp and 156,381 bp, respectively. A total of 111 unique genes have been detected in plastome, which included 78 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. In plastomes of A. meioclados and A. munitus, 14,685 and 14,987 codons were detected, among which 9942 and 10,207 had the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values higher than 1, respectively. A. meioclados and A. munitus have 26 SSRs patterns, among which A. meioclados was 25 and A. munitus 21. The average Ka/Ks value was 0.36, and positive selection was detected in genes of the photosynthetic system (ndhF and rbcL) in Asparagus species. To perform the comparative analysis of plastomes, the two newly sequenced plastomes of the A. meioclados and A. munitus species were compared with that of A. cochinchinensis, and 12 hotspots, including 5 coding regions and 7 inter-genomic regions, were identified. Based on the whole plastome of Asparagus, 2 divergent hotspots (accD and rpl32-trnL-UAG) and 1 international barcode fragment (rbcL) were screened, which may be used as particular molecular markers for the identification of Asparagus species. In addition, we determined the phylogenetic relationship between A. meioclados and A. munitus in the genus Asparagus. This study enriches our knowledge of the molecular evolutionary relationships of the Asparagus genus and provides treasured data records for species identification, molecular breeding, and evolutionary analysis of this genus.
No interior da região semiárida brasileira (bioma Caatinga), há ocorrência de refúgios de vegetação de outros biomas que se apresentam principalmente em topos de formações geológicas do período Pré-Cambriano, como a Chapada do Araripe. Este trabalho objetivou o conhecimento da estrutura, diversidade e similaridade florística de um fragmento de mata úmida na Chapada do Araripe, sul do Ceará (708m Alt.), visando subsidiar estratégias de conservação dessa comunidade, área de relevante valor ecológico, cultural e paisagístico. Em 13 parcelas de 25x25m (0,8 ha), foram inventariados todos os indivíduos com DAP ≥ 5cm, observando-se altura total. A similaridade florística foi observada pelo método de Jaccard a partir da comparação com outras sete áreas em diferentes regiões do Brasil. Foram encontradas 66 espécies distribuídas em 34 famílias, num total de 1.544 indivíduos com DA=1.997,30 ind.ha-1 e AB=32,618 m²ha-1. Fabaceae (25,75%) e Myrtaceae (6%) apresentaram maior número de espécies e Brosimum gaudichaudii apresentou maior IVI. O índice de Shannon (H’) foi 3,13 e a equabilidade de Pielou (J’) foi 0,75. A diversidade beta, comparada com outras áreas de mata úmida (core e disjuntas), foi considerada alta e a estatística apontou maior similaridade com área da mesorregião da mata pernambucana. Os resultados permitem caracterizar a área como refúgio vegetacional de mata úmida, corroborando com a teoria dos refúgios e evidenciam forte penetração de espécies savânicas (cerradão, cerrado, caatinga/carrasco) enfatizando a atuação de impulsos climáticos ocorridos no Quaternário e apontando para a necessidade de estratégias de conservação devido ao antropismo acelerado.
Background
The leaves of Serjania erecta Radlk (Sapindaceae) are renowned in ethnobotany for their medicinal properties and are significant as a medicinal resource for traditional Brazilian communities. As necrotic spots are common on these leaves, indicating interaction with phytopathogenic fungi, it was hypothesized that biotrophic fungal species colonize the leaf tissues of S. erecta .
Methods
To test this hypothesis, we employed standard techniques in plant anatomy, which enabled us to investigate the interaction of fungal structures with plant tissues and describe the morphoanatomical and histochemical characteristics of the epidermis and limbus of S. erecta .
Results
The anatomical analysis showed the existence of leaf teeth on the leaf tips. Additionally, hyphae, conidiospores, and spores of Bipolaris/Curvularia species were detected on the adaxial epidermis. Moreover, melanized microsclerotia were found in glandular areas of the leaf teeth and the phloem, providing evidence of biotrophic behavior. The hypothesis that biotrophic phytopathogenic fungi interact with S. erecta leaf tissues was confirmed, despite the presence of many bioactive compounds (such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and essential oils), as evidenced by histochemical analyses. The presence of tector, glandular, and scabiform trichomes on the leaf teeth and epidermis was also revealed. This study presents, for the first time, the synthesis of essential oils and alkaloids in the leaves of S. erecta . Additionally, it investigates previously unexplained aspects of the anatomy and histochemistry of the species, as well as its interaction with resident microorganisms. Therefore, it is recommended that future research focus on extracting and characterizing the oils and alkaloids of S. erecta , as well as exploring other aspects related to its microbiome and its relationship.
The article discusses the relationships between Ashaninka people from Peruvian Amazonia and the ibinishi ethnotaxon corresponding to several species from the Acanthaceae family
cultivated in Ashaninka home gardens. The information on cultivated Acanthaceae comes from 59
gardens in 12 native communities along the Tambo River valley in Peruvian Upper Amazonia. The
data were interpreted with a more-than-utility theoretical-methodological approach. Ibinishi, also
known as pinitsi, are the second major group of cultivated medicinal plants after ibenki (Cyperus
spp.) by the Ashaninka. An over-differentiation phenomenon is observed, in which three species of
Justicia, one of Lepidagathis, and one of Ruellia correspond to 66 different ethnospecies of ibinishi.
Their names are secondary lexemes, and in their meaning, they refer mostly to visions, spirits, and
human and animal sorcerers. A wide scope of uses is connected to Ashaninka etiologies but only
partly supported by the secondary metabolites found in those species. The ethnomedical phenomenon of ibinishi has been found among the Ashaninka but not among other Arawak-speaking groups
in Amazonia. Compared to ethnographic sources, the importance of ibinishi seems to have grown
among the Ashaninka, which may be ascribed to the armed conflicts and social unrest this group
has gone through in recent times.
To illustrate the essential role of Apis cerana Fabricius in plant pollination, a survey was conducted using PCR, DNA barcoding, and high-throughput sequencing technologies to assess the diversity of plants foraged by A. cerana at five sites around Qinling Mountains. A fragment of the rbcL gene in pollen isolated from honey collected at each site was amplified and sequenced. The results show that samples BJ and TC, samples FP and AK have a high correlation, respectively. According to the information of a total of 64 plant species identified in the five sites, belonging to 53 genera, 37 families, and 23 orders, it is found that there is a relatively high diversity and complex composition of nectar and pollen plants and that most of the plants are sporadically available. The identified species show higher occurrence in some orders, such as Sapindales, Rosales, etc. There are significantly more plants of temperate origin than those of tropical origin, 58.5% and 34.0%, respectively. Some species of Rosales or Sapindales are more visited by A. cerana, with Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) being the dominant species. These results provide a basis for assessing the role of A. cerana in plant pollination and maintaining biodiversity.
Connective glands are important morphological characters for the taxonomy of some genera of Malpighiaceae, with few recent studies having just elucidated these glands' anatomical and ecological functions. In order to test the systematic relevance of connective glands to the currently accepted phylogenetic informal clades of Malpighiaceae, we characterised the anatomy and/or histochemistry of two-thirds of Malpighiaceae genera and ten species from nine families of Malpighiales to test: 1. Do connective glands occur in the flowers of all informal clades of Malpighiaceae?; and 2. Are they taxonomically relevant to characterise those clades? We sampled 25 genera and 26 species of Malpighiaceae, processing their anthers using traditional anatomical methods and characterising their glands using light microscopy and SEM imaging. Selected species were subjected to histochemical tests, and an additional 21 genera and 33 species of Malpighiaceae and nine families (ten species) of Malpighiales were included in our sampling from the literature. Three anatomical characters were scored, coded and mapped using Maximum Likelihood methods onto the molecular phylogeny of Malpighiaceae. All sampled species of Malpighiaceae showed connective glands characterised as epidermal or trichomal elaiophores. Our character-mapping analyses recovered connective elaiophores as a new synapomorphy for Malpighiaceae. Different types of epidermal or trichomal elaiophores were recovered as homoplasies for the Christianella and Banisteriopsis clades and the genera Byrsonima, Camarea and Cottsia. Our analyses also recovered the glands' place of insertion in the stamen and the exudate type as potential new synapomorphies or homoplasies for the families of Malpighiales sampled. Our results propose the connective elaiophores as a new synapomorphy for Malpighiaceae and hypothesise the role that different staminal glands might play in the systematics of Malpighiales. Further comprehensive anatomical studies are still needed for the staminal glands of most families of this order to shed new light on the patterns recovered in our study. Citation: de Almeida RF, Arévalo-Rodrigues G, de Morais IL, Cardoso-Gustavson P (2023) Evolution of connective glands reveals a new synapomorphy for Malpighiaceae and the hidden potential of staminal glands for Malpighiales systematics. PhytoKeys 232: 109-131. https://doi.
Ornithogalum harbrum is described as a new species from Sulaimaniyah province, Kurdistan of Iraq. The morphological characteristics of the new species are given and those of the closely similar species O. sanandajense and O. arcuatum are discussed. Notes on the ecology and conservation status of O. harbrum are provided.
Nomenclatural and taxonomic information are crucial for curating botanical collections. In the course of changing methods for systematic and taxonomic studies, classification systems changed considerably over time (Dalla Torre and Harms 1900, Durand and Bentham 1888, Endlicher 1836, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group et al. 2016). Various approaches to store preserved material have been implemented, most of them based on scientific names (e.g., families, genera, species) often in combination with other criteria such as geographic provenance or collectors.
The collection management system, JACQ, was established in the early 2000s then developed to support multiple institutions. It features a centralised data storage (with mirror sites) and access via the Internet. Participating collections can download their data at any time in a comma-separated values (CSV) format. From the beginning, JACQ was conceived as a collaboration platform for objects housed in botanical collections, i.e., plant, fungal and algal groups. For these groups, various sources of taxonomic reference exist, nowadays online resources are preferred, e.g., Catalogue of Life, AlgaeBase, Index Fungorum, Mycobank, Tropicos, Plants of the World Online, International Plant Names Index (IPNI), World Flora Online, Euro+Med, Anthos, Flora of Northamerica, REFLORA, Flora of China, Flora of Cuba, Australian Virtual Herbarium (AVH).
Implementation and (re)use of PIDs
Persistent identifiers (PIDs) for names (at any taxonomic rank) apart from PIDs for taxa, are essential to allow and support reliable referencing across institutions and thematic research networks (Agosti et al. 2022). For this purpose we have integrated referencing to several of the above mentioned resources and populate the names used inside JACQ with those external PIDs. For example, Salix rosmarinifolia is accepted in Plants of the World Online while Euro+Med Plantbase considers it a synonym of Salix repens subsp. rosmarinifolia. Either one can be an identification of a specimen in the JACQ database.
Retrieval of collection material
One strong use case is the curation of material in historic collections. On the basis of outdated taxon concepts that were applied to the material in history, "old" synonyms are omnipresent in historical collections. In order to retrieve all material of a given taxon, it is necessary to know all relevant names.
Future outlook
In combination with the capability of Linked Data and the IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) technology, these PIDs serve as crucial elements for the integration of decentralized information systems and reuse of (global) taxonomic backbones in combination with collection management systems (Gamer and Kreyenbühl 2022, Hyam 2022, Loh 2017).
Globalization, expansion of trade relations, inter- and intra-continental population movements, development of transport links between countries have led to the active settlement of many plant species outside their natural ranges. Among such plants, a group of invasive species stands out, whose distribution has serious environmental, economic and social consequences. The article contains information about the results of the inventory of invasive vascular plant species growing in the Russian Federation, as well as an overview of the actions taken in the country to manage invasive plant species. Currently, there are 584 invasive species of vascular plants in Russia, of which the most common are Acer negundo, Echinocystis lobata and Erigeron сanadensis. It has to be stated that until now there are no legislative acts regulating the policy in the field of invasive species (the exception is the legal regulation of phytocarantin), as well as the national strategy for alien species in Russia. Effective management of biological invasions can work if the general public is aware of the adverse effects of biological invasions. Given that the number of specialists is always limited, it is necessary to take into account the role of the general population in the management of invasive species.
Book details: Fischer E. & Müller K.: Syllabus of plant families. Adolf Engler's Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien. 13th edition by Wolfgang Frey. Part 5/1. Magnoliopsida (Angiosperms) p.p.: subclass Magnoliidae p.p.: Lilianae p.p. (Arecales to Zingiberales), Ceratophyllanae, subclass Rosidae p.p. (Ranunculanae to Berberidopsidanae). – Stuttgart: Borntraeger Science Publishers, 2022. – ISBN 978-3-443-01173-4. – Hardback, 18 × 25 cm, 1570 g, xii + 671 pages, 128 mostly coloured plates, language: English. – Price: EUR 219. – Available from https://www.schweizerbart.de/
Citation: Raus Th. 2023: Book review: Syllabus of plant families. Adolf Engler's Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien. 13th edition by Wolfgang Frey. Part 5/1. – Willdenowia 53: 79–81.
Version of record first published online on 9 May 2023 ahead of inclusion in April 2023 issue.
Based on collections held at herbarium FT new and noteworthy records of vascular plants from tropical Northeast Africa are provided. Five taxa – Drimia intricata , Gisekia pharnaceoides var. alata , Phyllanthus chevalieri , Vincetoxicum spirale , Vincetoxicum diplostigma – are recorded as new for the Flora of Somalia. For four species – Campylanthus parviflorus , Commiphora spinulosa , Herniaria bicolor , Pulicaria gabrielii – previously known from a single collection or only from the type locality, new records are presented. For 21 species ( Amaranthus graecizans subsp. graecizans , Boswellia rivae , Coelachyrum piercei , Coleus argentifolius , Commiphora playfairii , Cornulaca ehrenbergii , Crabbea albolutea , Crepis rueppellii , Diceratella revoilii , Dicoma thuliniana , Euphorbia geldorensis , Farsetia longisiliqua , Gymnosporia arbutifolia , Gymnosporia somalensis , Iphiona pinnatifida , Marsdenia stelostigma , Pavonia burchellii , Pluchea dioscoridis , Psiadia incana , Ruttya fruticosa , Tarchonanthus camphoratus ) new distributional or noteworthy records are reported.
The drivers and mechanisms underlying succession and the spontaneous formation of plant communities in mining wasteland remain largely unknown. This study investigated the use of nature-based restoration to facilitate the recovery of viable plant communities in mining wasteland. It was found that scientific analyses of spontaneously formed plant communities in abandoned mining areas can provide insights for nature-based restoration. A chronosequence ("space for time") approach was used to establish sites representing three successional periods with six successional stages, and 90 quadrats were constructed to investigate changes in plant species and functional diversity during succession in abandoned PbZn mining areas. A total of 140 soil samples were collected to identify changes in soil properties, including plant nutrient and heavy metal concentrations. Then, this paper used structural equation models to analyze the mechanisms that drive succession. It was found that the functional diversity of plant communities fluctuated substantially during succession. Species had similar functional traits in early and mid-succession, but traits tended to diverge during late succession. Soil bulk density and soil organic matter gradually increased during succession. Total nitrogen (N), pH, and soil Zn concentrations first increased and then decreased during succession. Concentrations of Mn and Cd gradually decreased during succession. During early succession, soil organic matter was the key factor driving plant colonization and succession. During mid-succession, soil Zn functioned as an environmental filter factor limiting the rates of succession in mining wasteland communities. During late succession, soil bulk density and competition for nutrient resources contributed to more balanced differentiation among plant species. This thesis proposed that a nature-based strategy for the stabilization of abandoned mining lands could facilitate effective plant community restoration that promotes ecosystem services and functioning.
Hintergrund: Die Gräserpollensaison zeichnet sich durch eine besonders lange Dauer aus, umfasst in Europa die Monate Mai bis Juli, kann aber je nach Seehöhe beziehungsweise geografischer Lage variieren. Es werden im Speziellen drei Gräser vorgestellt, die durch eine spätere Blüte auffallen: Phragmites australis (Schilfrohr), Miscanthus spp. (Chinaschilf) und Zea mays (Mais).
Ergebnisse: Phragmites australis (Schilfrohr) blüht zwischen August und September und sorgt an Standorten mit großen Schilfbeständen für relevanten Pollenflug. Miscanthus spp. (Chinaschilf) blüht von August bis Oktober und findet sich einerseits als Zierpflanze in urbanen Räumen und andererseits als Nutzpflanze im ländlichen Gebiet. Zea mays (Mais) blüht von Juli bis Oktober und kann vor allem im Umfeld von Maisfeldern für Beschwerden sorgen.
Diskussion: Phänologische Routinen sind wichtiger Bestandteil der Aerobiologie, um lokalen und regionalen Besonderheiten wie spät blühenden Gräsern die Bedeutung beizumessen, die sie haben, nämlich eine nicht zu unterschätzende Rolle in der Verlängerung der Gräserpollensaison.
The Urticaceae family (Rosales) comprises six tribes containing 61 genera, with about 2000 species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Taxonomic controversies concerning Urticaceae remain unresolved. This study aimed to characterize the specialized metabolites in Urticaceae genera and tribes in order to define their chemical profiles, micromolecular markers and the group evolutionary trends. Chemosystematic indexes—occurrence number (ON), oxidation index (OI) and skeleton specialization (SS)—and their evolutionary advancement parameters were calculated based on chemical literature data on Urticaceae flavonoids and triterpenes. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clusters were also performed. Altogether, 356 flavonoids and 607 terpenoids were analyzed. Flavonols and flavones with low protection indexes of flavonoid hydroxyls by O-glycosylation were observed. Moreover, triterpenes were predominant in the Urticaceae. The chemometric analysis confirmed that the Cecropieae tribe belongs to the Urticaceae family indicating similarities and dissimilarities due to metabolic micromolecular variability. Chemometric analysis revealed chemical similarities among several tribes of Urticaceae, including Urticeae, Elatostemateae, Boehmerieae, Parietarieae, Forsskaoleeae, and Cecropieae. C-glycosylated
flavones in Cecropieae suggest an evolutionary transition consistent with their phylogenetic position in Urticaceae. These results demonstrate the usefulness of chemosystematics as a reliable tool for describing specialized metabolites in
Urticaceae and for supporting molecular phylogenetic studies.
La couverture forestière de la Côte d’Ivoire estimée à environ 16 millions d’hectares dans les années 1900 a connu une importante régression et elle est passée de nos jours à moins de 3 millions d’hectares. Cette réduction résulte de l’effet conjugué de l’urbanisation galopante, de l’agriculture et de l’exploitation des massifs forestiers en bois d’œuvre. Cette diminution a conduit à la perte des essences forestières commercialisables. La présente étude, réalisée dans la forêt classée de la Besso s’inscrit dans une vision d’amélioration de la productivité des plantations forestières pour un meilleur approvisionnement des industries du bois. Elle vise à identifier le modèle de reboisement offrant une diversité floristique élevée avec une meilleure croissance et qualité du bois. Les espèces utilisées sont Cedrela odorata L. (Meliaceae) et Gmelina arborea Roxb (Verbenaceae). Les travaux ont été effectués sur deux types de reboisement (plantation pure et agroforêt à base de caféier ou de cacaoyer). Plusieurs paramètres (quantitatifs et qualitatifs) ont été évalués suivant les types de reboisement. Il en ressort que l’agroforêt de type Cedrela odorata en association avec le caféier est le système le plus hétérogène avec un indice de Shannon de 3,47 et une valeur d’équitabilité de Piélou de 0,93. Cependant, Gmelina arborea en agroforêt avec le cacaoyer présente une bonne croissance annuelle (0,04 m). L’agroforêt de type Gmelina arborea associée au cacaoyer a fourni les meilleures valeurs de cylindricité et de rectitude. Les résultats de cette étude devraient aider à la réhabilitation des écosystèmes forestiers dégradés. The forest cover of Côte d'Ivoire estimated at around 16 million hectares in the 1900s has undergone a significant reduction and it is estimated today at under three million hectares. This reduction is the combined effect of a high rate of urbanization, agriculture, and logging industry. This reduction has led to a depletion of the forests in marketable species. This study on the Besso classified forest is part of a vision to improve the productivity of forest plantations for a better supply of wood industries. It aims to identify a reforestation model with a high floristic diversity with better growth and wood quality. The species used are Cedrela odorata L. (Meliaceae) and Gmelina arborea Roxb (Verbenaceae). Two types of reforestation in the Besso classified forest were carried out namely, pure reforestation plantation and agroforest (coffee and cocoa based). Several parameters (quantitative and qualitative) were evaluated according to the types of reforestation. The results show that the reforestation of Cedrela odorata-coffee agroforest is the most system environment with a Shannon index of 3.47 and a Pielou equitability value of 0.93. However, the Gmelina arborea-cocoa agroforest has the best annual growth rate (0.04 m). The qualitative parameters (cylindricity and straightness) are better in the Gmelina arborea-cocoa agroforest. All these results should help in the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and forests.
Trillium govanianum is a multipurpose medicinally valuable herb known to treat various human and livestock diseases in the traditional medicinal systems of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet (China). Traditionally, it has been used to treat different types of diseases such as boils, dysentery, inflammation, menstrual disorders, sex-related disorders, wounds, as an antiseptic, and for improving general health. The phytochemical studies carried out so far have led to the isolation and identification of 29 bio-active compounds with steroidal saponins (Diosgenin, Pennogenin, Govanoside A, Borososside E) as the major and crucial bio-active constituents from its various parts. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that both extracts and pure compounds isolated from all parts of this plant have antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antifertility/contraceptive, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic and antioxidant properties. Keeping the widespread scientific interest in view, this review aims to provide a critical overview of the botanical, ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of T. govanianum in order to explore the development of new and safe drugs for further investigation and utilization. Based on research gaps, recommendations for further research works have been provided with special emphasis on its commercial cultivation.Keywords
Trillium govanianum
Medicinal plantEthnomedicinePhytochemistryPharmacologyHimalaya
Medicinal plants are of interest for human uses from prehistoric times to the present day in many parts of the world. At the same time, the importance and demand for these plants are always continuous. Herbal-based drugs, pharmaceuticals, health products, food additives, and cosmetics can make significant contributions to the economy. In addition, they are an alternative economic supply chains for developing countries’ economies. Medicinal plants contain a wide variety of active substances that are used in the treatment of various ailments by almost the entire population of the world. Chemical analyses of medicinal plant materials are performed, and their individual chemical compounds and plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are characterized after isolation. After the procedure, the identified chemical entities are tested for their pharmacological activities and therapeutics. Medicinal plant’s pharmacological properties are usually often predicted based on their chemical structures. Many pharmacological studies have shown that several medicinal plants exhibit a wide range of biological activity, and the plant species contain many bioactive compounds such as coumarins, terpenoids, and glycosides responsible for a collection of pharmacological properties. The VOSviewer tool was used to visualize the results. The documents including medicinal plants in “article title, abstract, keywords,” but limited to containing the topic “pharmacological properties” were extracted from the Scopus database. Briefly, the research was done using medicinal plants in “article title, abstract, keywords” and then 175,818 documents were retrieved. The second step was the limitation of the results to “pharmacological properties,” i.e., 2715 document numbers and 400,000 plant species were limited. Herewith the chapter, we herein are concerned with the evaluation of medicinal plants for their pharmacological properties.KeywordsTherapeuticsPharmacologicalBioactive compoundsSecondary metabolites
Taxonomy and systematics and specifically the generic circumscription of the Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae have been a matter of controversy in recent decades. Widely contrasting taxonomic treatments have been proposed, ranging from systems comprising only two genera (including a morphologically very variable Drimia covering nearly the whole subfamily) to about 20 genera based mainly on preliminary phylogenetic studies supporting recognition of traditionally accepted and morphologically distinct genera such as Litanthus, Schizobasis, Tenicroa, and Thuranthos. All previous studies covered only a limited diversity and distribution of the subfamily, precluding comprehensive insight into the evolution of the diversity
within the subfamily. Based on detailed morphological, phylogenetic, and biogeographic studies in Urgineoideae, covering its whole distribution range and most of the currently known species, we present a new taxomic treatment of the subfamily focusing on the circumscription of genera. Our analyses revealed 31 phylogenetic lineages corroborating unique syndromes of morphological characters linked to well-defined biogeographic patterns. These lineages are interpreted as well-defined genera. An identification key to the genera is provided to facilitate further taxonomic work in Urgineoideae and morphological descriptions of the accepted genera are presented. Two new genera, Spirophyllos gen. nov. and Zulusia gen. nov., are described to accommodate newly revealed phylogenetic lineages from northwestern and southeastern Africa, respectively. Further, a complete list of taxa included in the accepted genera is presented, providing details on typification, and the 50 new combinations, and one new name required to appropriately accomodate taxa in the new taxonomic treatment.
During the 1990s Rubiaceae turned into a problem area for systematists, chiefly because of the thorough treatment of the family by Robbrecht in 1988. Close to the investigation of macromolecular characters to construe the phylogeny, the palynology of Rubiaceae at long last gotten the consideration it merits. The purpose of this article is to present a cutting-edge analysis of the family's systematic palynology. The scope of variety in dust morphology is wide, and a portion of the dust highlights are not known from other angiosperm taxa; e.g., a looplike or winding example for the place of gaps in pantoaperturate grains. We compiled a generic online database of Rubiaceae's major pollen characters and orbicule presence. This section provides an overview of the variation and character illustrations: pollen size and form, aperture number, position, and type, sexine ornamentation, nexine pattern, and stratification of the sporoderm are all aspects of the dispersal unit. The presence/nonattendance and morphological variety of orbicules at the nonexclusive level is given also. The orderly handiness of dust morphology in Rubiaceae is examined at the (sub)family, ancestral, nonexclusive, and infraspecific levels, utilizing around date transformative speculations for the various genealogies in the family. Also discussed are the advantages and disadvantages of coding pollen characters for cladistic analyses.
A new species of the little-known genus Demarchus Jacoby was discovered at Pilu, East Taiwan, and is here described as Demarchus hsui sp. nov. The larvae and adults utilise showy mistletoes as food plants. Their remarkable biology is described in detail, including egg deposition and leaf mining behaviour. Their biology is compared with that of other members of the genus.
CromoCat is a plant chromosome database that evolved from previous versions, as a repository of karyological information on the vascular flora of the Catalan Countries. CromoCat is designed as an independent database, managed by a team based at the University of Barcelona directed by J. Simon, available from its own webpage ( http://www.cromo.cat/ ) and from the Flora section of the Catalan Biodiversity Database - BDBC ( http://biodiver.bio.ub.es ). CromoCat contains at present (mid 2022) more than 68,000 records of karyological data belonging to more than 5000 taxa. A synthesis of the development of CromoCat, its functional system, achievements, limitations, and adopted solutions, during 25 years (1996-2021) and updated 2022, as well as the application to biodiversity conservation and management are outlined.
Genome size is a plant character with far-reaching implications, ranging from impacts on the financial and computing feasibility of sequencing and assembling genomes all the way to influencing the very ecology and evolution of species. The increasing recognition of the role of genome size in plant science has led to a rising demand for comprehensive and easily accessible sources of genome size data. The Plant DNA C-values database has established itself as a trusted and widely used central hub for users needing to access available plant genome size data, complemented with related cytogenetic (ploidy level) and karyological (chromosome number) information where available. Since its inception in 2001, the database has undergone six major updates to incorporate newly available genome size information, leading to the most recent release (Release 7.1), which comprises data for 12,273 species across all the major land plant and some algal lineages. Here we describe how to use the database efficiently, making use of its different query and filtering settings.
Antecedentes y Objetivos: Spigelia es un género neotropical con cerca de 90 especies distribuidas desde los Estados Unidos de América hasta Argentina. La diversidad del género presenta una separación espacial entre un grupo en Norte-Centroamérica/Caribe (NA) y otro en Sudamérica (SA), cada uno con un importante centro de diversificación. Sin embargo, el conocimiento sistemático del grupo no ha sido actualizado en los últimos 10 años, por lo que el objetivo de este trabajo es generar una sinopsis sistemática para el género distribuido en la región NA. Métodos: El trabajo se realizó a través de la búsqueda de información bibliográfica para obtener la historia taxonómica, así como trabajo de campo y revisión de material herborizado, a partir del cual se realizaron descripciones diagnósticas y mapas de distribución. Resultados clave: Se encontraron 29 especies distribuidas en la región NA, lo que representa alrededor de 30% de la diversidad del género, en las zonas tropical y subtropical. En la región NA, Mesoamérica es una de las regiones en las que se concentra la diversidad vegetal, lo que la cataloga como hotspot. El trabajo incluye información novedosa sobre la morfología del grupo, como descripciones de los caracteres polínicos y carpológicos, claves de identificación por regiones en NA y mapas de distribución en el área de estudio. Conclusiones: Este estudio representa el primer tratamiento taxonómico para el género Spigelia que incluye todas las especies de la región central y norte del continente americano. La información recopilada en este trabajo puede ser útil para ser integrada en análisis filogenéticos que ayuden a resolver las relaciones intragenéricas del grupo. Asimismo, la aplicación de herramientas de modelado de distribución potencial que permitan ubicar áreas para futuras colectas, así como el desarrollo de análisis biogeográficos que ayuden a comprender la distribución de la diversidad de Spigelia a lo largo del continente.
White-sand ecosystems form scattered patches across the lowland rainforests of the Amazonia and have been recognized for their extremely poor substrates and highly specialized flora. We focused on the white-sand flora of the Amazonas state in southern Venezuela, including six areas with white-sand habitats in the Atabapo, Camani, Pasimoni, Sipapo, and Ventuari river basins and the lowlands of Yapacana National Park. We provide a checklist of vascular plants based on 79 field inventories conducted in 50 sites within the 6 study areas. We describe the main patterns of taxonomic richness, alpha diversity, distribution, endemism, and life forms. The flora is unexpectedly rich, harboring 710 species, 287 genera, and 90 families. Twelve percent of the species are only known from the Venezuelan white-sand areas and about half of the species are white-sand endemics in the broader sense, i.e., considering the white-sand areas of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Woody elements dominate the life form spectrum of this flora (68% of taxa), whereas herbaceous forms account for 32% of the taxa. Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, Fabaceae, Xyridaceae, and Poaceae are the most species-rich families, while the herbaceous genera Xyris and Utricularia are the richest in species, followed by the woody genera Ouratea and Myrcia. We found low floristic similarity among the six surveyed areas, reflecting a strong uneven distribution of taxa and the effect of local endemics. This spatial pattern of diversity is relevant for future conservation measures aiming to preserve the biodiversity of these singular ecosystems.KeywordsGuayana shieldAzonal vegetationMeadowRio Negro caatinga
The varied patterns of genetic differentiation of vulnerable orchids populations (eg. Cattleya genus) urgently need to be known. Here, we present contextualized examples of genetic studies and discuss conservation challenges for orchids in the neotropical region, as the genetic diversity is essential for conservation and management actions of threatened species. In most of the sampled populations of Cattleya granulosa, an endangered orchid inhabiting the Atlantic Forest remnants, for example, there is a body of evidence of the occurrence of genetic bottlenecks. Our study showed that conservation genetics should consider the spatial distribution of genetic diversity in order to develop appropriate conservation strategies. Thus, further advances in the protection of genetic diversity are needed, since conventional databases and public policies may be insufficient in land use planning aiming at biodiversity conservation. In addition to the need to maintain genetic diversity, it is necessary to understand the reproductive and demographic characteristics caused by the interaction of a number of evolutionary and ecological mechanisms to maintain the evolutionary potential of an orchid species or population.KeywordsPlant conservation geneticsCattleya geneticsOrchidaceaeNeotropical orchidsThreatened orchids
Antecedentes y Objetivos: La Alberca de Tacámbaro es uno de los tres lagos cráter que existen en Michoacán, México. El conocimiento que se tiene sobre la flora y vegetación de esta área protegida es inexistente. Por lo tanto, los objetivos del presente trabajo son: 1) elaborar una lista florística, 2) conocer el grado de endemismo de la flora y las especies clasificadas bajo alguna categoría de riesgo y 3) describir los tipos de vegetación presentes en La Alberca.Métodos: Se llevaron a cabo 20 salidas a campo, entre 2018 y 2023, para recolectar plantas vasculares que presentaran estructuras reproductivas. La identificación se realizó mediante literatura taxonómica, el cotejo con ejemplares tipo y el apoyo de especialistas en ciertos grupos taxonómicos. El material se depositó en los herbarios IEB, MEXU y MO. La vegetación se describió fisonómicamente, considerando la estratificación vertical, composición florística, dominancia y fenología foliar de las especies arbóreas.Resultados clave: Se determinaron 450 especies, agrupadas en 287 géneros y 92 familias. Asteraceae (79 especies), Fabaceae (60), Poaceae (25), Malvaceae (16) y Solanaceae (15) fueron las más diversas. A nivel genérico destacaron Desmodium (12 especies), Ipomoea (9), Solanum (8), Bletia (7), Euphorbia, Salvia y Stevia (5 cada uno). Las hierbas fueron la forma de crecimiento predominante (70.4%). El área presenta 141 (31.3%) especies endémicas de México y 19 están incluidas bajo alguna categoría de riesgo, de acuerdo con la NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, la IUCN y la CITES. Se describieron cuatro tipos de vegetación: bosque de Pinus, bosque de Pinus-Quercus, bosque tropical caducifolio y bosque tropical subcaducifolio.Conclusiones: La Alberca de Tacámbaro cuenta con una riqueza florística relevante (118 especies por ha). Este estudio aporta 345 especies no registradas para la flora del municipio Tacámbaro. Se reconoce una nueva especie de Nolina y el primer registro de Holographis peloria, Pherotrichis villosa y Prionosciadium lilacinum para Michoacán.
Seridó is one of the driest regions in the Caatinga biome, Northeastern Brazil, affected by a long history of anthropogenic impact, and today it is considered a desertification region. A phytosociological survey of woody species was carried out in an area at Morada das Jandairas Farm (MJF), in Santana do Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte, which still has a significant arboreal component despite maintaining an extensive cattle production, and compared it with data from other five inventories carried out in the region. Seventeen species from ten botanical families were found, with Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae being the most diversified. Commiphora leptophloeos and Croton blanchetianus stood out as the most important species. The high floristic composition similarity among the six compared studies indicates that the different phytophysiognomies may be result of anthropogenic action and regeneration processes. The relatively high Basal Area in the MJF (26.8 m² ha⁻¹) stands out even considering inventories carried out throughout the Caatinga region, which is largely due to the presence of many large trees (C. leptophloeos). Considerations about the ecological importance of large and old trees are made, with recommendations for the methodology of phytosociological inventories.
Keywords
Dry forests; Seasonally dry tropical forests; Semiarid; Quartzarenic soils; Old trees
We describe the newly-discovered species Illicium gansuense (Schisandraceae), discovered in the Yuhe area of Giant Panda National Park, Gansu, China. Morphologically, I. gansuense resembles I. ternstroemioides and I. arborescens . However, the new species can be distinguished by its smaller leaf size, the larger number of tepals, tepal margin ciliate, and distinct flowering and fruiting seasons.
Creating a multi-gene alignment matrix for phylogenetic analysis using organelle genomes involves aligning single-gene datasets manually, a process that can be time-consuming and prone to errors. The HomBlocks pipeline has been created to eliminate the inaccuracies arising from manual operations. The processing of a large number of sequences, however, remains a time-consuming task. To conquer this challenge, we develop a speedy and efficient method called Organelle Genomes for Phylogenetic Analysis (ORPA). ORPA can quickly generate multiple sequence alignments for whole-genome comparisons by parsing the result files of NCBI BLAST, completing the task in just one minute. With increasing data volume, the efficiency of ORPA is even more pronounced, over 300 times faster than HomBlocks in aligning 60 high-plant chloroplast genomes. The phylogenetic tree outputs from ORPA are equivalent to HomBlocks, indicating its outstanding efficiency. Due to its speed and accuracy, ORPA can identify species-level evolutionary conflicts, providing valuable insights into evolutionary cognition.
Antecedentes: El noreste de México, estados de Coahuila, Nuevo León y Tamaulipas, constituye una región heterogénea que incluye sierras, planicies continentales y llanuras costeras con una infinidad de ambientes, substratos geológicos y gradientes altitudinales que favorecen la presencia de una rica biodiversidad. No existe una síntesis que documente la diversidad florística de esta región.
Preguntas: ¿Cuál es la magnitud de la diversidad de plantas vasculares en el noreste de México?, ¿Cuáles son las familias y géneros con mayor número de especies?, ¿Cómo se distribuye geográficamente esta riqueza florística en toda la región y cuáles son sus elementos más característicos?
Especies de estudio: 7,088 especies de plantas vasculares.
Sitio de muestreo: estados de Coahuila, Nuevo León y Tamaulipas.
Métodos: Se consultó literatura florística-taxonómica sobre la flora de la región y bases de datos de ejemplares para hacer un análisis espacial de la biodiversidad usando celdas de 1° de longitud y latitud. Se calculó la riqueza y el endemismo en la región, los estados y las celdas.
Resultados: Para el noreste de México se reportan 7,088 especies de plantas vasculares, de las cuales 1,767 son endémicas de México.
Conclusiones: El noreste de México registra una diversidad florística particularmente interesante y compleja, debido a que su territorio se ubica primordialmente fuera del neotrópico y porque constituye el límite boreal para muchos elementos de la flora de México.
Impatiens rosea Lindl., an Indian endemic species of family Balsaminaceae, collected from Mahendragiri hills of Odisha state (Eastern Ghats), is reported here for the first time from the state. A detailed description and photographs are provided for easy identification of the species.
Purpose: The study characterised the dynamics of the natural regeneration process of urban remnants in four Curitiba (PR, Brazil) urban parks, aiming to contribute to the green infrastructure management process in Araucaria Forest areas. Theoretical framework: Urban forests offer significant socio-environmental benefits, being relevant for maintaining ecosystem services for cities and their inhabitants. Studying the regeneration of forest remnants in urban environments is essential for analysing their conservation status. Method/design/approach: The floristic diversity, structure, and population dynamics of the shrub-regenerating component of urban forest remnants were studied through the analysis of phytosociological parameters and the similarity between the shrub-regenerating, and arboreal components was verified. Results and conclusion: Significant dissimilarity was found between the study areas' regenerating shrub and tree components. The forest remnant of the Municipal Zoo, located in a locality with greater integration of different green areas, showed the best conservation status and a more advanced process of forest succession. Research implications: The analysis of the natural regeneration of urban remnants serves as an essential diagnosis regarding their conservation status and the capacity of species to perpetuate in the place, in addition to inferring about the connectivity with other urban remnants, being of great importance for the planning of actions aimed at the management of urban forests. Originality value: Analyzing natural regeneration generates information on forest remnants' conservation status and resilience, which is essential for planning actions for urban forest management.
Background: Forests have a huge potential to mitigate global warming through CO2
accumulation in their living biomass.
Thus, understanding the functioning of these ecosystems is crucial for revealing factors that drive biomass accumulation.
Functional diversity helps us understand ecosystem services, including biomass accumulation. Within this context, this
work aimed to investigate the role of functional diversity in biomass accumulation for woody vegetation of the Cerradão.
Methods:We estimated above-ground biomass (AGB) of 50 Cerradão stands in Brazil and measured five different functional
traits associated with tree species’ survival and growth. For each stand, we calculated five community-weighted means
(CWMs), based on each functional trait, and three functional diversity metrics. We specifically explored the relationship
between CWMs describing functional diversity metrics and AGB. After that, exponential regressions were adjusted, using
the variables that presented significant correlation as independent variables and AGB as a dependent variable. Regressions
with more than one independent variable were fitted in a way that avoided collinearity. Based on the strongest correlation
coefficient (r) and the lowest Akaike value (AIC), we chose the best regression to explain the majority of the variance in
AGB.
Results: Our results showed the role of function in determining AGB. In particular, bivariate correlations show that four
CWM functional traits and two functional diversity metrics are significantly associated with AGB production, with CWM
showing AGB estimation variables. However, multiple regression analyses show that maximum height is the only trait
significantly associated with AGB and it alone provides the best model fit.
Conclusions: The accumulation of AGB in Cerradão is explained by the mass ratio theory, and this ecosystem services is
directly related to the presence and abundance of species with greater potential tree height (Htmax).
We present here a revised classification of Santalales, an angiosperm order that contains 18 families, 160 genera, and over 2200 species. Both nonparasitic and parasitic flowering plants occur in the traditionally circumscribed family Olacaceae whereas all other families are composed entirely of parasites. The five evolutionary radiations of aerial parasitism produced mistletoes that constitute most of the generic and specific diversity seen in the order. This classification, although based primarily upon results from molecular phylogenetic investigations, brings together all currently available information that contributes to our understanding of relationships among these plants. Monophyletic groups (clades) obtained from molecular analyses were named using a Linnaean ranked system. Four new families are named that formerly resided in Santalaceae s.l.: Amphorogynaceae, Cervantesiaceae, Comandraceae, and Nanodeaceae. A new tribal and subtribal classification for Loranthaceae is presented where nine new subtribe names are proposed.
Phylogenetic definitions are provided for the names of 53 clades of vascular plants. Emphasis has been placed on well‐supported clades that are widely known to non‐specialists and/or have a deep origin within Tracheophyta or Angiospermae. These treatments follow the draft PhyloCode and illustrate the application of phylogenetic nomenclature in a variety of nomenclatural and phylogenetic contexts. Phylogenetic nomenclature promotes precision in distinguishing crown, apomorphy‐based, and total clades, thereby improving communication about character evolution and divergence times. To make these distinctions more transparent without increasing the number of entirely different names that must be learned, the following naming conventions (which have been adopted in the most recent draft of the PhyloCode) are employed here: widely known names are applied to crown clades, and the corresponding total clade (i.e., crown plus stem) is named “Pan‐X”, where “X” is the name of the crown (e.g., Pan‐Spermatophyta for the total clade of plants that share more recent ancestry with extant seed plants than with any other crown clade). If a name “X” that is based etymologically on an apomorphy is applied to the crown, the name “Apo‐X” is applied to the clade for which this trait is synapomorphic (e.g., Apo‐Spermatophyta for the clade originating from the first plant with seeds). Crown clade names can be defined by three kinds of definitions, two of which are used here: standard node‐based and branch‐modified node‐based. The latter is particularly useful when outgroup relationships of a crown clade are better known than basal relationships within the clade. Criteria and approaches used here to choose among competing preexisting names for a clade, to select a definition type, to choose appropriate specifiers, and (in some cases) to restrict the use of a name to certain phylogenetic contexts may be widely applicable when naming other clades. The phylogenetic definitions proposed here should help focus future discussions of the PhyloCode on real definitions rather than simplified hypothetical ones.
Molecular studies have shown that Molluginaceae in the traditional sense is polyphyletic. Several genera have already been separated into various families (e.g. Caryophyllaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Microteaceae), but recent studies have shown that Macarthuria and Hypertelis also make Molluginaceae polyphyletic if they remain to be included in this family. Hypertelis is biphyletic, with its type species found to belong to Molluginaceae sensu stricto, but the remainder of the genus is to be placed elsewhere. Therefore a new genus, Kewa, is proposed for the rest of Hypertelis, and two new family names are coined: Kewaceae and Macarthuriaceae, which are here morphologically characterized.
Premise of the study:
Major relationships within Lamiidae, an asterid clade with ∼40000 species, have largely eluded resolution despite two decades of intensive study. The phylogenetic positions of Icacinaceae and other early-diverging lamiid clades (Garryales, Metteniusaceae, and Oncothecaceae) have been particularly problematic, hindering classification and impeding our understanding of early lamiid (and euasterid) character evolution.
Methods:
To resolve basal lamiid phylogeny, we sequenced 50 plastid genomes using the Illumina sequencing platform and combined these with available asterid plastome sequence data for more comprehensive phylogenetic analyses.
Key results:
Our analyses resolved basal lamiid relationships with strong support, including the circumscription and phylogenetic position of the enigmatic Icacinaceae. This greatly improved basal lamiid phylogeny offers insight into character evolution and facilitates an updated classification for this clade, which we present here, including phylogenetic definitions for 10 new or converted clade names. We also offer recommendations for applying this classification to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) system, including the recognition of a reduced Icacinaceae, an expanded Metteniusaceae, and two orders new to APG: Icacinales (Icacinaceae + Oncothecaceae) and Metteniusales (Metteniusaceae).
Conclusions:
The lamiids possibly radiated from an ancestry of tropical trees with inconspicuous flowers and large, drupaceous fruits, given that these morphological characters are distributed across a grade of lineages (Icacinaceae, Oncothecaceae, Metteniusaceae) subtending the core lamiid clade (Boraginales, Gentianales, Lamiales, Solanales, Vahlia). Furthermore, the presence of similar morphological features among members of Aquifoliales suggests these characters might be ancestral for the Gentianidae (euasterids) as a whole.
The Caryophyllales constitute a major lineage of flowering plants with approximately 12500 species in 39 families. A taxonomic backbone at the genus level is provided that reflects the current state of knowledge and accepts 749 genera for the order. A detailed review of the literature of the past two decades shows that enormous progress has been made in understanding overall phylogenetic relationships in Caryophyllales. The process of re-circumscribing families in order to be monophyletic appears to be largely complete and has led to the recognition of eight new families (Anacampserotaceae, Kewaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Macarthuriaceae, Microteaceae, Montiaceae and Talinaceae), while the phylogenetic evaluation of generic concepts is still well underway. As a result of this, the number of genera has increased by more than ten percent in comparison to the last complete treatments in the Families and genera of vascular plants” series. A checklist with all currently accepted genus names in Caryophyllales, as well as nomenclatural references, type names and synonymy is presented. Notes indicate how extensively the respective genera have been studied in a phylogenetic context. The most diverse families at the generic level are Cactaceae and Aizoaceae, but 28 families comprise only one to six genera. This synopsis represents a first step towards the aim of creating a global synthesis of the species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales integrating the work of numerous specialists around the world.
To date molecular data have not revealed the exact phylogenetic position of Balanophoraceae in relation to hemiparasitic Santalales. To elucidate the phylogeny of Santalales and the position of Balanophoraceae, three plastid genes (matK, rbcL, accD), three nuclear genes (SSU and LSU rDNA and RPB2) and one mitochondrial gene (matR) from 197 Santalales samples (including 11 Balanophoraceae species) were analyzed with parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. Our results demonstrate that Balanophoraceae is composed of two well-supported clades: a relatively slow-evolving one including Dactylantus, Hachettea, and Mystropetalon (Mystropetalaceae) and an extremely fast-evolving one composed of the remaining Balanophoraceae s.str. Support for monophyly of the two clades was low, thus it appears holoparasitism has arisen twice independently in Santalales. These two clades appeared during a time of great change in the order (ca. 100 Ma) when several major evolutionary innovations emerged, e.g., the root hemiparasites of Santalaceae s.l., the first aerial parasites (Misodendraceae), herbaceous root parasites (Schoepfiaceae), root parasitic Loranthaceae (the ancestors of aerial parasitic mistletoes), as well as the holoparasites in Balanophoraceae and Mystropetalaceae.
Acceptance of a name is the ultimate provision for valid publication of new names under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (McNeill & al. in Regnum Veg. 154. 2012). This is stressed in Art. 33.1, which requires that, after fulfilling all the other conditions of valid publication (if fulfilled separately), a name must be explicitly accepted in the place of its valid publication. However, evidence of such acceptance is not always obvious. An apparently problematic situation is presented by certain types of indices, bibliographic dictionaries and reviews whose purpose is to record botanical names and to deliver these names to the public. It may be stated in introductions to such works that they include accepted names or also synonyms, and certain records may be indicated as such. Nevertheless, a question remains: who is the author who accepted (as required in Art. 33.1 and 36.1) a particular name in such publications? Most commonly, and explicitly, indices recorded names that were supposed to have been accepted by their original authors. If a name inadvertently happened to appear as new in an index, the recorded place of its stated (presumed) original publication may be considered a reference to its basionym or replaced synonym or to a designation that was not validly published. If a basionym or replaced synonym can be found in the original publication, under Art. 46.3 the citation of the original author is not considered ascription and under Art. 46.2 the author of the index is the author of the new combination or replacement name. If the name of a new taxon is validated by reference to a description or diagnosis associated with a designation that was not validly published (e.g., a provisional name), under Art. 46.2 and Note 2 the new name is attributed to the original authorship unless Art. 46.4 applies. But in both situations, acceptance of a name (Art. 36.1) or explicit acceptance (Art. 33.1) is required by the recorder in the index in order for the new name to be validly published. Such evidence of (explicit) acceptance is typically missing in indices except for those that do contain original taxonomic assessments, for instance, the main volumes and the three first supplements of the Index Kewensis. The title and preface of the first volume of the Index Kewensis states that it provides " an enumeration of the genera and species of flowering plants […] together with […] their synonyms " , thus being " an Index to the names and authorities of all known flowering plants ". From these statements and the typesetting of the plant name list it is completely clear that the Index Kewensis was intended to provide accepted names of plant genera and species with their synonyms, in order to serve as a taxonomic and nomenclatural checklist of all plants known to date (actually phanerogams, as follows from the Latin title). From its fourth supplement onwards, the Index Kewensis had changed its style and policy, as explained in the introduction with the following statement: " Iterum nomina antea usitata sub nomina nunc utenda recitata sunt; nominibus nudis inter synonyma enumeratis nomina accepta addita sunt " (in English translation: Besides, the names used previously are cited under the names now to be used; accepted names are added to the nomina nuda that appeared in the synonymy). Greuter (in Candollea 40: 211–213. 1985), who translated this sentence, interpreted it as a statement of acceptance on the part of the compilers; however, we can see nothing in these words that goes beyond the mere recording of names accepted by the original authors: a name " now to be used " is a name proposed by a certain author as to be used and is accepted by that author, not necessarily by the compilers. No explicit statement or other evidence can be found concerning the acceptance of names specifically by the compilers of the Index Kewensis, and we agree with Meikle (in Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 3: 295–299. 1971), who also argued that in the later supplements " the editors [of the Index Kewensis] only included validly published names without passing judgement on them ". Another controversial case, in which explicit acceptance of names by the publishing author is absent, is an early dictionary of botanical terminology by Martinov (Tekhno-Botanicheskiy Slovar, published in 1820). Reveal (in Taxon 47: 851–856. 1998) concluded that botanical names that first appeared in Martinov (l.c.) were validly published in this book by the means of indirect references to descriptions in earlier works. However, Sennikov (in Komarovia 4: 138–154. 2006) disagreed, arguing that, as explained in the preface to Martinov's book, its only nomenclatural service was to bring together names in Latin for all the taxa at the ranks of " order " and " family " , as well as for some taxa at other ranks, which were used in various, sometimes conflicting, botanical classifications. Plant names in that book were presented as part of botanical terminology, without giving an opinion about the corresponding taxa and thus without explicit acceptance of the listed names. Reviews of published material such as books and articles may communicate botanical names as part of the contents in the same way as indices and dictionaries do. Even if they do so, unless the authors of such reviews express their personal opinion about them, the names they use cannot be treated as explicitly accepted in the reviews. Since recorders and reviewers do not usually assess the taxonomy behind the names that are being recorded, such names, even if appearing to be inadvertently " new " because of one or another technical mistake or misunderstanding of the original source, cannot be validly published according to Art. 33.1 and 36.1. To articulate this conclusion
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) started with ordinal relationships for angiosperm families and later came to concentrate more on issues surrounding family delimitation, generally taking a conservative approach (favouring lumping over splitting when choices were otherwise fairly evenly balanced). The history of the APG approach to classification is elaborated here, and long-term trends in taxon size are also discussed. Twenty-three questions relating to family delimitation of angiosperms (21) and ferns (two) were identified, and an open, web-based survey was conducted to determine which solutions were preferred by the botanical community. There were a total of 441 responses from 42 countries. The full survey results are presented and discussed. In general, among respondents, there was a good balance between lumping and splitting, although a much smaller percentage self-identified as splitters. Recommendations to APG for a set of specific family delimitation issues in angiosperms and ferns are made. We followed the majority vote in all but four cases and recommended ten splitting and 13 lumping options. We found that decisions were made by respondents on a case-by-case basis. Many respondents favoured lumping as a means of gaining stability by leaving circumscription issues at the lower taxonomic levels, which are of more concern to specialists (i.e. at subfamilial and tribal levels). We estimate that APG IV will not differ substantially from APG III.
One of the major goals of systematics is to provide a synthesis of knowledge on the diversity of a group of organisms, such as flowering plants. Biodiversity conservation and management call for rapid and accurate global assessments at the species level. At the same time the rapid development of evolutionary biology with a spectrum of approaches to test species relationships and species limits, has revolutionized and is still revolutionizing the science of plant systematics including taxonomy. We explore the relevant scientific and technological developments with the aim to suggest a conceptual framework for an integrated monographic synthesis which can reach global coverage. Our exemplar group are the Caryophyllales, which are a lineage of worldwide distribution, comprising approx. 5% of flowering plant species diversity. The current situation of classification is marked by a transition from pre-phylogenetic treatments to taxonomic treatments increasingly evaluated in an evolutionary context. Structured data (both molecular and morphological), linked to well-documented specimens will be important as fundamental entities of information that can be subjected to evolutionary analysis. As a result, taxon concepts are established as hypotheses which then can be used as basis for a classification system in a second step. Global syntheses need to provide information and use a classification system that reflects the current state of knowledge. In order to accommodate the constantly improved understanding of the organisms, eventually also resulting in the change of taxon concepts, the treatments need to be dynamic. The workflow for a global monographic synthesis as outlined here is supported by currently available biodiversity informatics tools such as the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy. The availability of electronic sources (names, protologues, type images, literature) greatly facilitates the access to information, but as our case shows, considerable efforts for data curation and research are still needed. The implementation of a global monographic synthesis such as the Caryophyllales requires the involvement of the global scientific community.
ne xanthine dehydrogenase (Xdh) was sequenced for 247 genera representing all major lineages of angiosperms
and ‘‘gymnosperms,’’ and the results were analyzed using likelihood and parsimony methods. The overall topology is mostly
congruent with previously published trees based on chloroplast rbcL, atpB, and matK sequences. A total of 190 of the 253 nodes
(71%) of the Xdh tree received bootstrap support greater than 50%. The likelihood tree was comparable in robustness to the
matK topology, which exhibited 79% of the nodes with bootstrap support greater than 50%, and to the reported 7%–24%
support observed for individual analyses of rbcL, atpB, and 18S ribosomal DNA clades. The number of parsimony-informative
sites (1068, 69%) was similar to that of the matK (1083, 62%) study. The likelihood tree depicts angiosperms as monophyletic,
with Ceratophyllum L. (Ceratophyllaceae) as sister to the rest of the flowering plants, followed successively by Amborellaceae,
Nymphaeaceae, and Austrobaileyales clades as sisters to the remaining angiosperms. Acorus L. plus the remaining monocots,
magnoliids, and Chloranthaceae diverge after the Austrobaileyales. Eudicots are supported and include a basal grade of
Ranunculales–Proteaceae, Sabiaceae, Trochodendraceae, Buxaceae, Gunneraceae, and Dilleniaceae–Santalaceae, which are
subsequent sister to the remaining eudicots. The remaining eudicots are split into two clades. The first clade consists of the
Ericales, Cornales, and euasterids I and II (lamids–campanulids). The second clade consists of the following orders:
Saxifragales, Myrtales–Caryophyllales–Cucurbitales, Crossosomatales, Geraniales, Rosales–Fabales–Fagales, Celastrales,
Malpighiales, Brassicales–Malvales, Oxalidales, and Sapindales. Xdh data provided good support in the Caryophyllales,
Ericales and Cornales, euasterids I (lamids), Magnoliales and Laurales, Malvales, Rutaceae, Oxalidales, Brassicales, and
Sapindales. A future combined analysis of Xdh and other DNA data sets will have a strong potential to enhance resolution and
internal support for angiosperm phylogenetics and provide insights into angiosperm evolution using biparental information.
Phylogenetic relationships within Sapindaceae sensu lato are assessed using sequence data from two plastid genes, analyzed separately and together. A total of 46 rbcL sequences (31 of which are new), and 89 matK sequences (75 new) representing 64 genera were subjected to parsimony and Bayesian analysis. The results support three major lineages, relationships between which are only weakly supported. Xanthoceras sorbifolium is not clearly a member of any of these lineages, and there is some support for it being the first lineage to diverge within the entire assemblage. Support for a broadly defined Sapindaceae incorporating Aceraceae, Hippocastanaceae, and Xanthoceras is very robust. A division into four subfamilies is proposed: Sapindoideae (including Koelreuteria and Ungnadia); Hippocastanoideae (including taxa previously referred to Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae, plus Handeliodendron); a more narrowly defined Dodonaeoideae; and a monotypic Xanthoceroideae. Tribal groupings are critically evaluated in light of the analyses. Although many of the current tribes appear paraphyletic or polyphyletic, there is support for the monophyly of some core groups of genera that suggest realignments of tribal concepts that would render them more informative of relationships.
In an attempt to elucidate relationships among the morphologically diverse members of Saxifragaceae sensu lato, phylogenetic analyses of rbcL sequence data were conducted on representative genera of 16 of the 17 subfamilies. Also included were many putatively related families, as well as a diverse array of dicotyledonous flowering plants. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that taxa of Saxifragaceae sensu lato are allied with at least 10 separate, often distantly related, lineages of several subclasses of flowering plants. Sequence data, in combination with other lines of evidence, suggest that Saxifragaceae sensu stricto should consist only of subfamily Saxifragoideae, a group of about 30 herbaceous genera that form the core of Saxifragaceae sensu lato. These data also suggest that potential close relatives of Saxifragaceae sensu stricto include Iteoideae, Pterostemonoideae, and Ribesoideae and possibly Penthoroideae and Tetracarpaeoideae, all traditional subfamilies of Saxifragaceae sensu lato, as well as Crassulaceae. These members of Saxifragaceae sensu lato, along with Saxifragaceae sensu stricto, Crassulaceae, and several genera from the subclass Hamamelidae, are basal to a large assemblage of taxa, most of which are usually placed in Rosidae. Within this primarily rosid alliance, representatives of four other subfamilies of Saxifragaceae sensu lato (Francooideae, Baueroideae, Parnassioideae, and Lepuropetaloideae) are allied with the rosid families Greyiaceae, Cunoniaceae, and Celastraceae. According to rbcL sequence evidence, Hydrangeoideae and Cornaceae are closely related members of a clade that is basal to a large group of taxa primarily from subclass Asteridae. Representative genera of four subfamilies of Saxifragaceae sensu lato (Phyllonomoideae, Escallonioideae, Montinioideae, and Vahlioideae) are in our results allied with taxa usually included in Asteridae. Significantly, relationships of Saxifragaceae sensu lato suggested by rbcL sequence data are in very close agreement with those supported by several other lines of evidence, especially embryology, serology, and iridoid chemistry.
The Ericaceae, Epacridaceae, and Empetraceae are usually recognized as closely related families of woody plants that share a preference for acidic soils, anthers that invert in development, and the presence of endosperm haustoria, among other characteristics. The Empetraceae are recognized as distinctive because of their often unisexual and wind-pollinated flowers. Epacridaceae are distinguished from Ericaceae by anthers that open by slits rather than pores and a primarily Australian distribution. Phylogenetic relationships of these related families are investigated using nucleotide sequences of the plastid gene rbcL. Parsimony analyses indicate a monophyletic, broadly defined Ericaceae that includes Empetraceae and Epacridaceae.
The evolutionary relationships among the seven tribes of Onagraceae, the most intensively studied family of intermediate size, have been examined from morphological and molecular perspectives. Previous cladistic analyses of chloroplast (cp) and nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA restriction sites, nuclear-encoded rbcS amino acid sequences, nrRNA nucleotide sequences, and morphological characters, produced trees that agree in defining the tribe Jussiaeeae as the sister group to the rest of the family. However, the relationships among the rest of the tribes are not completely resolved by these analyses. Cladistic analyses of sequence data from the chloroplast encoded rbcL gene produced results that bear on two major issues: (i) intertribal relationships within Onagraceae, and (ii) congruence with other cladistic analyses. Sequences of rbcL were obtained from all tribes of Onagraceae and from three families that have been proposed as sister taxa of Onagraceae on the basis of other molecular and morphological evidence (Lythraceae, Punicaceae, Trapaceae). Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL sequence data produced a single most parsimonious tree, both Fitch and weighted, that defines three strongly supported monophyletic groups within the family: all tribes except Jussiaeeae; Onagreae and Epilobieae; and, most interestingly, Fuchsieae and Circaeeae. The formation of this last clade corroborates the results of the cpDNA restriction site and of the nrRNA sequence data. The data also indicate an apparent slowdown in the rate of rbcL sequence divergence in the woody Fuchsia lineage relative to the herbaceous Circaea lineage. The placements of monogeneric tribes Lopezieae and Hauyeae are not strongly supported. The topology of the rbcL tree basically confirms that of the cpDNA restriction site tree. Among the other cladistic analyses, the nrRNA sequence survey produced the tree closest to the rbcL tree, followed in order by the rbcS amino acid sequence tree, the nrDNA restriction site tree, and the morphological tree.
Circumscription of Flacourtiaceae was investigated with a phylogenetic analysis of plastid rbcL DNA sequences, and the family was found to be composed of two clades that are more closely related to other families in Malpighiales than to each other. In one of these, that containing the type genus Flacourtia, Salicaceae are embedded, whereas the other clade includes the members of the peculiar and poorly known South African Achariaceae. The latter family name is conserved against all listed synonyms. Thus we propose the recognition of two families: i) Salicaceae sensu lato, including tribes Banareae, Bembicieae, Scolopieae, Samydeae (syn. Casearieae), Homalieae, Flacourtieae, Prockieae and Saliceae, as well as Abatieae (by some authors of Passifloraceae) and Scyphostegieae (Scyphostegia of the monogeneric Scyphostegiaceae); and ii) Achariaceae sensu lato, including tribes Pangieae, Lindackerieae, Erythrospermeae and Acharieae (Acharia, Ceratiosicyos and Guthriea of Achariaceae). Several genera considered by many previous authors to be members of Flacourtiaceae are excluded from Malpighiales: Berberidopsis and Aphloia fall near the base of the higher eudicots. Several tribes require different names from those used in previous systems, and we include an appendix indicating a tentative revised tribal taxonomy for both Salicaceae and Achariaceae sensu lato.
The familial placement of Wightia has long been a problem. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenetic inspection of Wightia based on noncoding chloroplast loci (the rps16 intron and the trnL-F region) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer, and on chemical analysis. A total of 70 samples (including 51 genera from 13 families of Lamiales) were employed in a molecular study. Phylograms suggest that Wightia is sister to Paulownia or Phrymaceae; species tree shows Wightia and Paulownia are sister groups which clustered with Phrymaceae in an unresolved clade. Chemical evidence shows affinity of Wightia to Paulowniaceae. With the addition of morphological, palynological and ecological characters, we suppose a familial position of Wightia belonging to or close to Paulowniaceae. Brandisia (a member of Orobanchaceae) does not have a close relationship with Wightia.
This is an abbreviated version of a paper that appears in full in the Electronic supplement to Taxon. Phylogenetic definitions are provided for the names of 20 clades of vascular plants (plus 33 others in the electronic supplement). Emphasis has been placed on well-supported clades that are widely known to non-specialists and/or have a deep origin within Tracheophyta or Angiospermae. These treatments follow the draft PhyloCode and illustrate the application of phylogenetic nomenclature in a variety of nomenclatural and phylogenetic contexts. Phylogenetic nomenclature promotes precision in distinguishing crown, apomorphy-based, and total clades, thereby improving communication about character evolution and divergence times. To make these distinctions more transparent without increasing the number of entirely different names that must be learned, the following naming conventions (which have been adopted in the most recent draft of the PhyloCode) are employed here: widely known names are applied to crown clades, and the corresponding total clade (i.e., crown plus stem) is named "Pan-X", where "X" is the name of the crown (e.g., Pan-Spermatophyta for the total clade of plants that share more recent ancestry with extant seed plants than with any other crown clade). If a name "X" that is based etymologically on an apomorphy is applied to the crown, the name "Apo-X" is applied to the clade for which this trait is synapomorphic (e.g., Apo-Spermatophyta for the clade originating from the first plant with seeds). Crown clade names can be defined by three kinds of definitions, two of which are used here: standard node-based and branch-modified node-based. The latter is particularly useful when outgroup relationships of a crown clade are better known than basal relationships within the clade. Criteria and approaches used here to choose among competing preexisting names for a clade, to select a definition type, to choose appropriate specifiers, and (in some cases) to restrict the use of a name to certain phylogenetic contexts may be widely applicable when naming other clades. The phylogenetic definitions proposed here should help focus future discussions of the PhyloCode on real definitions rather than simplified hypothetical ones.
A phylogenetic analysis of 589 plastid rbcL gene sequences representing nearly all eudicot families (a total of 308 families; seven photosynthetic and four parasitic families are missing) was performed, and bootstrap re-sampling was used to assess support for clades. Based on these data, the ordinal classification of eudicots is revised following the previous classification of angiosperms by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG). Putative additional orders are discussed (e.g. Dilleniales, Escalloniales, Vitales), and several additional families are assigned to orders for future updates of the APG classification. The use of rbcL alone in such a large matrix was found to be practical in discovering and providing bootstrap support for most orders. Combination of these data with other matrices for the rest of the angiosperms should provide the framework for a complete phylogeny to be used in macro-evolutionary studies.
A revised and updated classification for the families of flowering plants is provided. Many recent studies have yielded increasingly detailed evidence for the positions of formerly unplaced families, resulting in a number of newly adopted orders, including Amborellales, Berberidopsidales, Bruniales, Buxales, Chloranthales, Escalloniales, Huerteales, Nymphaeales, Paracryphiales, Petrosaviales, Picramniales, Trochodendrales, Vitales and Zygophyllales. A number of previously unplaced genera and families are included here in orders, greatly reducing the number of unplaced taxa; these include Hydatellaceae (Nymphaeales), Haptanthaceae (Buxales), Peridiscaceae (Saxifragales), Huaceae (Oxalidales), Centroplacaceae and Rafflesiaceae (both Malpighiales), Aphloiaceae, Geissolomataceae and Strasburgeriaceae (all Crossosomatales), Picramniaceae (Picramniales), Dipentodontaceae and Gerrardinaceae (both Huerteales), Cytinaceae (Malvales), Balanophoraceae (Santalales), Mitrastemonaceae (Ericales) and Boraginaceae (now at least known to be a member of lamiid clade). Newly segregated families for genera previously understood to be in other APG-recognized families include Petermanniaceae (Liliales), Calophyllaceae (Malpighiales), Capparaceae and Cleomaceae (both Brassicales), Schoepfiaceae (Santalales), Anacampserotaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Montiaceae and Talinaceae (all Caryophyllales) and Linderniaceae and Thomandersiaceae (both Lamiales). Use of bracketed families is abandoned because of its unpopularity, and in most cases the broader circumscriptions are retained; these include Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceace and Xanthorrheaceae (all Asparagales), Passifloraceae (Malpighiales), Primulaceae (Ericales) and several other smaller families. Separate papers in this same volume deal with a new linear order for APG, subfamilial names that can be used for more accurate communication in Amaryllidaceae s.l., Asparagaceace s.l. and Xanthorrheaceae s.l. (all Asparagales) and a formal supraordinal classification for the flowering plants.
Premise of research. One hundred and one years ago, Thismia americana was discovered in a prairie near Chicago in the United States. This tiny mycoheterotrophic plant was observed at the type locality for a few years but is now considered to be extinct. The occurrence of the mainly tropical genus Thismia in temperate North America remains a mystery, particularly because T. americana's putative most closely related species occurs in Australia and New Zealand. Here we evaluate the affinities of T. americana using morphological data and the relationships of the two other species in Thismia subgen. Thismia sect. Rodwaya with molecular data. Methodology. A 21-character morphological data set of 50 Thismia species was analyzed with parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. A data set of eight species of Thismia and allied taxa containing sequence data of the nuclear 18S and mitochondrial atp1 regions was analyzed with maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogeny inference methods, including a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analysis. Pivotal results. Morphological data indicate that T. americana is most closely related to the Old World species of Thismia. Nuclear and mitochondrial data suggest that Old World species of Thismia are part of a single clade but also show that the section Rodwaya is not a monophyletic group. Conclusions. The results suggest that T. americana diverged from an Old World ancestor, but the morphological similarity of T. americana to other species in the section Rodwaya may result from the presence of plesiomorphic characters or convergent evolution rather than close phylogenetic affinity. Northern Hemisphere species of Thismia may be more plausible close relatives of T. americana. Under the latter scenario, T. americana would be part of an Amphi-Pacific Northern Hemisphere disjunction, a more commonly observed distribution pattern in plants.
Reconstructing the origin and evolution of land plants and their
algal relatives is a fundamental problem in plant phylogenetics, and
is essential for understanding how critical adaptations arose, including
the embryo, vascular tissue, seeds, and flowers. Despite
advances inmolecular systematics, some hypotheses of relationships
remain weakly resolved. Inferring deep phylogenies with bouts of
rapid diversification can be problematic; however, genome-scale
data should significantly increase the number of informative characters
for analyses. Recent phylogenomic reconstructions focused on
the major divergences of plants have resulted in promising but inconsistent
results. One limitation is sparse taxon sampling, likely
resulting from the difficulty and cost of data generation. To address
this limitation, transcriptome data for 92 streptophyte taxa were
generated and analyzed along with 11 published plant genome
sequences. Phylogenetic reconstructions were conducted using up
to 852 nuclear genes and 1,701,170 aligned sites. Sixty-nine analyses
were performed to test the robustness of phylogenetic inferences to
permutations of the datamatrix or to phylogeneticmethod, including
supermatrix, supertree, and coalescent-based approaches, maximumlikelihood
and Bayesian methods, partitioned and unpartitioned analyses,
and amino acid versus DNA alignments. Among other
results, we find robust support for a sister-group relationship
between land plants and one group of streptophyte green algae,
the Zygnematophyceae. Strong and robust support for a
clade comprising liverworts and mosses is inconsistent with a
widely accepted view of early land plant evolution, and suggests
that phylogenetic hypotheses used to understand the evolution of
fundamental plant traits should be reevaluated.
Phylogenetic relationships of the pantropical and polyphyletic family Icacinaceae were investigated, focusing on the Old World vining genera. Plastid ndhF, rbcL and matK sequences from taxa representing 32 of the 36 currently recognized genera were analysed with maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. As in previous studies, our results show that the family is divided into several poorly resolved groups. An evaluation of the traditional tribal classification revealed Iodeae as polyphyletic and the monogeneric Sarcostigmateae as sister to a monophyletic Phytocreneae (with the inclusion of Rhyticaryum). In Iodeae, the monospecific, eastern Malesian Polyporandra was embedded in the Old World Iodes. A strongly supported clade containing Phytocreneae plus Rhyticaryum was present in the Icacina group. The tropical African genera Chlamydocarya and Polycephalium were embedded in the Old World Pyrenacantha. Further relationships in the family and potential synapomorphic characters of the clades are discussed. New combinations are made for Polyporandra and Chlamydocarya/Polycephalium spp., which are formally synonymized with Iodes and Pyrenacantha, respectively. Conclusions about family-level relationships (and circumscription) cannot be reached with these data because of several weakly supported inter-relationships between some clades, such as Cassinopsis, Platea/Calatola and the Emmotum group. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 176, 277–294.
Angiosperms are the most successful plants and support human livelihood and ecosystems. Angiosperm phylogeny is the foundation of studies of gene function and phenotypic evolution, divergence time estimation and biogeography. The relationship of the five divergent groups of the Mesangiospermae (~99.95% of extant angiosperms) remains uncertain, with multiple hypotheses reported in the literature. Here transcriptome data sets are obtained from 26 species lacking sequenced genomes, representing each of the five groups: eudicots, monocots, magnoliids, Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllaceae. Phylogenetic analyses using 59 carefully selected low-copy nuclear genes resulted in highly supported relationships: sisterhood of eudicots and a clade containing Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllaceae, with magnoliids being the next sister group, followed by monocots. Our topology allows a re-examination of the evolutionary patterns of 110 morphological characters. The molecular clock estimates of Mesangiospermae diversification during the late to middle Jurassic correspond well to the origins of some insects, which may have been a factor facilitating early angiosperm radiation.
Three families, Anarthriaceae, Restionaceae and Centrolepidaceae, are generally recognised in the restiid clade of Poales. A new phylogeny is presented, with fuller sampling of Australian taxa, based on analyses of trnL-F, trnK and rbcL data from the chloroplast genome. The findings agree with the major groups shown in previous molecular studies but provide a more substantial basis for reviewing the classification at family and generic levels. Anarthriaceae is sister to Restionaceae, with Anarthria sister to Lyginia+Hopkinsia. Centrolepidaceae, on an extremely long branch, appears embedded in Restionaceae in Bayesian trees; although it appears as sister to Restionaceae in analyses that are more subject to long-branch attraction (in parsimony analyses and those of data from the less-conserved trnL-F cpDNA region). Accepting the embedded position, which would make this a subfamily of Restionaceae, the basal division in the Restionaceae separates the African subfamily Restionoideae from the Australasian clade (Sporadanthoideae, Centrolepidoideae, Leptocarpoideae). In subfamily Leptocarpoideae, Eurychorda forms the basal branch. At the next dichotomy the Leptocarpus clade, together with the Winifredia clade, is separated from a diverse assemblage including Loxocarya, Chordifex, Baloskion, Desmocladus, Lepidobolus and allied genera. The phylogeny indicates that several currently recognised genera are not monophyletic and that changes to the generic classification are required. A matrix of morphological characters was prepared and these were mapped onto the Bayesian consensus DNA tree to identify synapomorphies of the clades and genera. Observations on leaf laminae indicate that fully or partially unifacial leaf laminae are a synapomorphy of the restiid clade. The morphological characterisation of the following are considered: the restiid clade, Anarthriaceae, Restionaceae enlarged to include subfamily Centrolepidoideae, Leptocarpus s.l. (including as potential synonyms Meeboldina and Stenotalis) and Desmocladus s.l. (including potentially Harperia, Onychosepalum and Kulinia).
The origin of Geraniales (approximately 900 species in three families: Geraniaceae, Melianthaceae, and Vivianiaceae) is traced back to the Cretaceous of Gondwana, yet their geotemporal history is largely unknown because of a limited fossil record and incomplete phylogenies. In the present study, we provide the first fossil record of Vivianiaceae and a highly resolved molecular phylogeny for all extant Geraniales genera. Our results support the hypothesis that five (instead of three) families should be recognized in the order Geraniales: Francoaceae A. Juss. (Francoa, Greyia, Tetilla), Geraniaceae Juss. (Erodium, Geranium, Monsonia, Pelargonium), Hypseocharitaceae Wedd. (monogeneric), Melianthaceae Horan. (Bersama, Melianthus), and Vivianiaceae Klotzsch (Balbisia, Rhynchotheca, Viviania). The four major lineages (i.e. Geraniaceae, Francoaceae+Melianthaceae, Hypseocharitaceae, Vivianiaceae) all originated within a narrow time frame during the Eocene (36.9-49.9Mya) based on the five fossil calibration points. The divergence of most of the extant genera occurred much later, from the Miocene onwards. The South American-South African disjunction in Francoaceae apparently goes back to long distance dispersal with an estimated divergence time of the lineages in the Middle Miocene [11.2 (5.9-17.7)Mya]. Diversification in Melianthus appears to be much more recent than previously assumed [starting approximately 3.4 (1.9-5.2)Mya rather than approximately 8-20Mya]. However, divergence of the Andean Hypseocharis lineage [36.9 (31.9-42.8)Mya] significantly predates the main Andean uplift: Current distributions likely go back to northward migrations and subsequent extinctions in Patagonia. Similarly, Rhynchotheca, Balbisia, and Viviania have a current southern distribution limit >10°N of the fossil finds, indicating a massive northward displacement. The present evidence suggests that niche conservatism likely played a major role in the historical biogeography of Geraniales.
Cleomaceae is a small pantropical family that is emerging as a promising system to investigate C4 photosynthesis, floral evolution, and comparative genomics. However, our understanding of these phenomena is hindered by a lack of a strong phylogenetic hypothesis, despite a number of previous studies. We reconstructed the phylogeny of the family using data from all three genomes, including three cpDNA (ndhF, matK, ycf1), one mtDNA (rps3), and one nrDNA (ITS) regions. Analyses strongly supported 15 clades: (1) Clade 1, which includes two Old World species, Cleome khorassanica and C. turkmena; (2) Cleome s.str., which includes the type C. ornithopodioides and Old World species; (3) Droserifolia, corresponding to three Old World species, C. droserifolia, C. fimbriata, C. quinquenervia; (4) Polanisia, equivalent to this New World genus; (5) Angustifolia, which includes four Old World species; (6) North American cleomoids, which includes four genera, Cleomella, Peritoma, Oxystylis, and Wislizenia; (7) Australian, which includes Old world species and worldwide weed Arivela viscosa; (8) Gynandropsis, equivalent to this monotypic genus; (9) Clade 6, which includes Old World species of Cleome and Dipterygium; (10) Dactylaena, corresponding to this genus and Physostemon; (11) African, which includes species distributed in Old World; (12) Andean, which includes Podandrogyne and tropical New World species of Cleome; (13) Melidiscus, which includes New World tropical species; (14) Cleoserrata, which includes New World tropical species; and (15) Tarenaya, a large New World clade. Major relationships amongst the clades are strongly supported for the first time, including North American cleomoids sister to all remaining Cleomaceae. While five genera are confirmed or newly identified here to be non-monophyletic (Cleome, Cleomella, Hemiscola, Peritoma, Tarenaya), six are supported (Cleoserrata, Dactylaena, Melidiscus, Physostemon, Podandrogyne, Polanisia). Thus, there are many taxonomic and evolutionary implications to our revised phylogenetic hypothesis.
Asparagales are a diverse monophyletic order that has numerous species (ca. 50% of monocots) including important crop plants such as Allium, Asparagus, and Vanilla, and a host of ornamentals such as irises, hyacinths, and orchids. Historically, Asparagales have been of interest partly because of their fascinating chromosomal evolution. We examine the evolutionary dynamics of Asparagales genomes in an updated phylogenetic framework that combines analyses of seven gene regions (atp1, atpB, matK, ndhF, rbcL, trnL intron, and trnL–F intergenic spacer) for 79 taxa of Asparagales and outgroups. Asparagales genomes are evolutionarily labile for many characters, including chromosome number and genome size. The history and causes of variation in chromosome number and genome size remain unclear, primarily because of the lack of data in small clades in the phylogenetic tree and the lack of comparative genetic maps, apart from Allium and Asparagus. Genomic tools such as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries should be developed, as both molecular cytogenetic markers and a source of nuclear genes that can be widely used by evolutionary biologists and plant breeders alike to decipher mechanisms of chromosomal evolution.
Gisekiaceae are a monogeneric family of the core Caryophyllales distributed in arid regions of Africa and Asia. The only widespread species of the genus, Gisekia pharnaceoides, performs C4 photosynthesis based on CO2 compensation point measurements. This study investigates the C4 syndrome and its evolution in Gisekia. The infrageneric relationships, distribution and bioclimatic preferences of Gisekia are also investigated.
Leaf gas exchange characteristics, activity of Rubisco and major C4 cycle enzymes, and ultrastructural characteristics of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells are studied for Gisekia pharnaceoides. δ(13)C values and leaf anatomy are analyzed for all species. A dated molecular phylogeny of 39 accessions representing all species of Gisekiaceae and 14 representatives of closely related core Caryophyllales families is generated using four cp markers and ITS. The precise current distribution and bioclimatic niche of Gisekia is assessed on the basis of 520 georeferenced specimen localities.
All traditionally recognized species of Gisekia are C4 plants with atriplicoid Kranz anatomy. Gisekia pharnaceoides uses the NAD-ME biochemical type. The molecular phylogeny demonstrated two East African clades nested within South African clades, demonstrating migration along the arid areas of eastern Africa during the Late Miocene/Pliocene Epochs. Most traditionally defined species are polyphyletic.
Gisekia represents an isolated C4 lineage within core Caryophyllales dating back to the Miocene Epoch and probably spread along the African arid corridor from a South African center of origin. The seven currently recognized species should be treated as one polymorphic species or species complex, Gisekia pharnaceoides agg.
This volume presents systematic treatments for the families and genera of the Malpighiales, which more recently have been recognised as a new major group of the eudicots. Apart from several herbaceous lineages (already treated in Vol. IX of this series), the order consists mainly of rainforest trees, particularly those of the understorey. Accompanied by other early eudicot lineages, this reflects the well-documented origin of the group as invaders into the conifer-, cycad- and seed fern-dominated forests of the Cretaceous which, at that time, were transformed into the tropical rainforest biome. In this volume, 24 families with 429 genera comprising over 12,000 species are treated. Many of these belong to the vast family of the Euphorbiaceae (here conceived in a broader sense), followed by the Violaceae, whereas some of the remaining families are very small and even relictual. The revised classification includes a complete inventory of the genera belonging to the families treated in this volume, along with their diagnostic features and keys for their identification. References to the latest taxonomic literature and links to many different disciplines important to modern plant systematics make the volume a valuable source of information on the manifold aspects of plant diversity.
