Abstract Detail

From the backbone to diversification: unraveling the evolutionary history of Ericales

Larson, Drew [1], Chanderbali, Andre [2], Baker, William [3], Forest, Felix [3], Smith, Stephen [1], Utteridge, Timothy [3].

The phylogeny and biogeography of Primulaceae based on high-throughput DNA sequence data.

The angiosperm family Primulaceae is morphologically diverse and is distributed nearly worldwide. However, phylogenetic uncertainty has limited our ability to identify where major morphological and biogeographic transitions have occurred. We used target capture sequencing with the Angiosperms353 kit, tree-based sequence curation, and multiple phylogenetic approaches to investigate the major clades of Primulaceae and their relationship to other Ericales. Our analyses resolved relationships among most recognized genera of Primulaceae. We found unequivocal evidence that Ardisia, the largest genus in the family, is non-monophyletic, with at least 19 smaller genera nested within it. Myrsine, Primula and Androsace are also rendered non-monophyletic by other genera. We show that the clade formed by Neotropical Ardisia and allies is sister to a group most diverse in the Pacific Islands, suggesting a history of trans-oceanic dispersal. The phylogeny of the family suggests that multiple independent transitions to an herbaceous habit have occurred, or that an early ancestor of subfamilies Primuloideae and Myrsinoideae was herbaceous. Our results provide a robust hypothesis for the phylogenetic relationships among the genera of Primulaceae as well as the biogeographic history of its major clades. An extensive taxonomic revision of Myrsinoideae is necessary to circumscribe monophyletic genera. Denser sampling of some genera is still necessary to establish whether they are monophyletic as well as whether all Ardisia and allied genera that occupy the Neotropics form a single clade.

1 - University of Michigan, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1105 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
2 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
3 - Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE, United Kingdom

Keywords:
phylogenetics
phylogenomics
Ericales
biogeography
Angiosperms353
targeted sequencing.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Number: C3004
Abstract ID:437
Candidate for Awards:None