Molecular phylogenetics of New Caledonian Diospyros (Ebenaceae) using plastid and nuclear markers

To clarify phylogenetic relationships among New Caledonian species of Diospyros, sequences of four plastid markers (atpB, rbcL, trnKmatK and trnStrnG) and two low-copy nuclear markers (ncpGS and PHYA) were analysed. New Caledonian Diospyros species fall into three clades, two of which have only a few members (1 or 5 species); the third has 21 closely related species for which relationships among species have been mostly unresolved in a previous study. Although species of the third group (NC clade III) are morphologically distinct and largely occupy different habitats, they exhibit little molecular variability. Diospyros vieillardii is sister to the rest of the NC clade III, followed by D. umbrosa and D. flavocarpa, which are sister to the rest of this clade. Species from coastal habitats of western Grande Terre (D. cherrieri and D. veillonii) and some found on coralline substrates (D. calciphila and D. inexplorata) form two well-supported subgroups. The species of NC clade III have significantly larger genomes than found in diploid species of Diospyros from other parts of the world, but they all appear to be diploids. By applying a molecular clock, we infer that the ancestor of the NC clade III arrived in New Caledonia around 9 million years ago. The oldest species are around 7 million years old and the youngest ones probably much less than 1 million years

A multi-locus plastid phylogenetic analysis of the pantropical genus Diospyros (Ebenaceae), with an emphasis on the radiation and biogeographic origins of the New Caledonian endemic species

We aimed to clarify phylogenetic relationships within the pantropical genus Diospyros (Ebenaceae sensu lato), and ascertain biogeographical patterns in the New Caledonian endemic species. We used DNA sequences from eight plastid regions (rbcL, atpB, matK, ndhF, trnK intron, trnL intron, trnL-trnF spacer, and trnS-trnG spacer) and included 149 accessions representing 119 Diospyros species in our analysis. Results from this study confirmed the monophyly of Diospyros with good support and provided a clearer picture of the relationships within the genus than in previous studies. Evidence from phylogenetic analyses suggests that Diospyros colonized New Caledonia multiple times. The four lineages of Diospyros in New Caledonia also differ in their degree of diversification. The molecular data indicate that one lineage is paleoendemic and derived from an ancient Australian species. The other three lineages are more closely related to several Southeast Asian species; two of them are neoendemics, and one has radiated rapidly and recently

Phylogeny, adaptive radiation and historical biogeography of Bromeliaceae: insights from an 8-locus plastid phylogeny.

The authors gratefully acknowledge fi nancial support for this investigation by grants from the National Science Foundation to P.E.B., K.J.S., and T.J.G. (DEB-9981587), T.J.G. (DEB-0830036), K.J.S. (DEB- 0431258), and G.L.B. and T.M.E. (DEB-0129446 and DEB-0129414), and from the Hertel Gift Fund to T.J.G., from the Commission for Interdisciplinary Ecological Studies (KI Ö S) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences ( Ö AW, 2007-02 to W.T. and M.H.J.B., and from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinshaft (ZI 557/7-1, SCHU 2426/1-1) and the Hessian initiative for the development of scientifi c and economic excellence (LOEWE) at the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Mein, to G.Z. and K.S.Peer Reviewe

Anatomia de raízes de nove espécies de Bromeliaceae (Poales) da região amazônica do estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil Anatomy of the roots of nine species of Bromeliaceae (Poales) from the Amazon, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Este estudo busca caracterizar raízes de Bromeliaceae: Aechmea bromeliifolia, A. castelnavii, A. mertensii (Bromelioideae), Dyckia duckei, D. paraensis, D. racemosa (Pitcairnoideae), Tillandsia adpressiflora, T. didistachae e T. paraensis (Tillandsioideae) ocorrentes nas regiões amazônicas (Mato Grosso-MT), procurando levantar caracteres de valor taxonômico e significado ecológico. As espécies estudadas são epífitas e suas raízes se caracterizam por apresentar velame pluriestratificado, córtex diferenciado, endoderme e periciclo unisseriados, cilindro vascular poliarco e medula com células de paredes espessadas. Estruturas anatômicas como: número de camadas e tipo de espessamento das paredes das células do velame, tipo de espessamento de parede da exoderme e endoderme, presença de idioblastos contendo cristais e número de pólos de protoxilema agrupam as espécies nos diferentes gêneros e subfamílias. A presença de canais de mucilagem no córtex de A. castelnavii relatados pela primeira vez na literatura para Bromeliaceae é caráter diagnóstico. As raízes de Dyckia e Tillandsia apresentam maior número de caracteres comuns, representando maior similaridade entre Pitcairnioideae e Tillandsioideae. Raízes com velame, exoderme com células de paredes espessadas constituindo uma camada mecânica, canais de mucilagem, lacunas de ar no córtex interno e idioblastos com cristais são estruturas adaptativas ao hábito epifítico.<br>This study aimed to characterize the roots of Bromeliaceae, Aechmea bromeliifolia, A. castelnavii, A. mertensii (Bromelioideae), Dyckia duckei, D. paraensis, D. racemosa (Pitcairnoideae), Tillandsia adpressiflora, T. didistachae and T. paraensis (Tillandsioideae), that occur in Amazonian regions (Mato Grosso-MT), in order to find features of taxonomic value and ecological importance. The studied species are epiphytes and their roots are characterized by a multi-layered velamen, differentiated cortex, uniseriate endodermis and pericycle, polyarch vascular cylinder and medulla with thickened cell walls. Anatomical structures, such as the number of layers and kind of cell wall thickening of the velamen, the kind of thickening of the exodermis and endodermis walls, the presence of idioblasts containing crystals and the number of protoxylem poles help seperate these species within different genera and subfamilies. The presence of mucilage canals in the cortex of A. castelnavii is a diagnostic feature. The roots of Dyckia and Tillandsia share more common features, so there is greater similarity between Pitcairnioideae and Tillandsioideae. Roots with velamen, an exodermis with thickened cell walls constituting a mechanical layer, mucilage canals, air gaps in the inner cortex and idioblasts with crystals are structures adapted to the epiphytic habit