Resolving the Evolutionary History of Campanula (Campanulaceae) in Western North America

Recent phylogenetic works have begun to address long-standing questions regarding the systematics of Campanula (Campanulaceae). Yet, aspects of the evolutionary history, particularly in northwestern North America, remain unresolved. Thus, our primary goal in this study was to infer the phylogenetic positions of northwestern Campanula species within the greater Campanuloideae tree. We combined new sequence data from 5 markers (atpB, rbcL, matK, and trnL-F regions of the chloroplast and the nuclear ITS) representing 12 species of Campanula with previously published datasets for worldwide campanuloids, allowing us to include approximately 75% of North American Campanuleae in a phylogenetic analysis of the Campanuloideae. Because all but one of North American Campanula species are nested within a single campanuloid subclade (the Rapunculus clade), we conducted a separate set of analyses focused specifically on this group. Our findings show that i) the campanuloids have colonized North America at least 6 times, 4 of which led to radiations, ii) all but one North American campanuloid are nested within the Rapunculus clade, iii) in northwestern North America, a C. piperi – C. lasiocarpa ancestor gave rise to a monophyletic Cordilleran clade that is sister to a clade containing C. rotundifolia, iv) within the Cordilleran clade, C. parryi var. parryi and C. parryi var. idahoensis exhibit a deep, species-level genetic divergence, and v) C. rotundifolia is genetically diverse across its range and polyphyletic. Potential causes of diversification and endemism in northwestern North America are discussed

Body composition and body fat distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Heart rate recovery (HRR), a cardiac autonomic control marker, was shown to be related to body composition (BC), yet this was not tested in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. The aim of this study was to determine if, and to what extent, markers of BC and body fat (BF) distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in NAFLD patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: BC was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 28 NAFLD patients (19 men, 51±13 years, and 9 women, 47±13 years). BF depots ratios were calculated to assess BF distribution. Subjects’ HRR was recorded 1 (HRR1) and 2 min (HRR2) immediately after a maximum graded exercise test. RESULTS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR; particularly weight, trunk BF and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio showed a negative relation with HRR1 (r 1⁄4 0.613, r 1⁄4 0.597 and r 1⁄4 0.547, respectively, Po0.01) and HRR2 (r 1⁄4 0.484, r 1⁄4 0.446, Po0.05, and r 1⁄4 0.590, Po0.01, respectively). Age seems to be related to both HRR1 and HRR2 except when controlled for BF distribution. The preferred model in multiple regression should include trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio and BF to predict HRR1 (r2 1⁄4 0.549; Po0.05), and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio alone to predict HRR2 (r2 1⁄4 0.430; Po0.001). CONCLUSIONS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR in NAFLD patients. Trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio was the best independent predictor of HRR and therefore may be best related to cardiovascular increased risk, and possibly act as a mediator in age-related cardiac autonomic control variation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of relevant lineages within the complex Campanulaceae family in Macaronesia

Original ResearchMacaronesia has long been recognized as a natural model for studying evolutionary processes in plant diversification. Several studies have attempted to focus on single lineages, and few have covered the diversification of a family across all the archipelagos. We used a comprehensive sample to clarify the phylogenetic relationships and the biogeographic history of the Macaronesian Campanulaceae. Hypotheses related to the colonization of these archipelagos will be used to examine the diversification patterns of different lineages. We sequenced the ITS region and six cpDNA markers (atpB, matK, petD, rbcL, trnL-F, and psbA-trnH) from 10 Campanulaceae species, including seven endemic species in Macaronesia. The phylogeny of these taxa was reconstructed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. To study the relationships within each lineage, haplotype networks were calculated using NeighborNet and TCS algorithms. Moreover, data were combined with fossil information to construct time-calibrated trees for the Macaronesian Campanulaceae species. The phylogenetic analyses are largely congruent with current taxon circumscriptions, and all the endemic genera formed monophyletic clades, namely Azorina in Azores; Musschia in Madeira; and Campanula in Cape Verde. The Azorina clade and the Cape Verde endemic Campanula may share a common ancestor in North Africa, and the divergence was dated ca. 12.3 million years ago (Mya). The divergence of the Musschia clade began in the Pliocene ca. 3.4 Mya. Moreover, several examples of intraspecific variation were revealed among the native species with a clear geographic structured patterns, suggesting that cryptic diversity might exist within the native Macaronesian Campanulaceae when compared to the close mainland taxa (e.g., Campanula erinus, Trachelium caeruleum), but additional studies are needed to support the molecular data. This study highlights the power of combining data (e.g., phylogeny and divergence times, with species distribution data) for testing diversification hypotheses within the unique Macaronesian flora, providing useful information for future conservation efforts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The herbarium: past, present, and future

Volume: 82Start Page: 687End Page: 75

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