Janet C. Barber

Repetitive DNA and chromosomal rearrangements: speciation-related events in plant genomes

Chromosomal change is one of the more hotly debated potential mechanisms of speciation. It has long been argued over whether – and to what degree – changes in chromosome structure contribute to reproductive isolation and, ultimately, speciation. In this review we do not aim to completely analyze accumulated data about chromosomal speciation but wish to draw attention to several critical points of speciation-related chromosomal change, namely: (a) interrelations between chromosomal rearrangements and repetitive DNA fraction; (b) mobility of ribosomal DNA clusters; and (c) rDNA and transposable elements as perpetual generators of genome instability.

Timing and Tempo of Early and Successive Adaptive Radiations in Macaronesia

The flora of Macaronesia, which encompasses five Atlantic archipelagos (Azores, Canaries, Madeira, Cape Verde, and Salvage), is exceptionally rich and diverse. Spectacular radiation of numerous endemic plant groups has made the Macaronesian islands an outstanding area for studies of evolution and speciation. Despite intensive investigation in the last 15 years, absolute age and rate of diversification are poorly known for the flora of Macaronesia. Here we report molecular divergence estimates and rates of diversification for five representative, putative rapid radiations of monophyletic endemic plant lineages across the core eudicot clade of flowering plants. Three discrete windows of colonization during the Miocene and early Pliocene are suggested for these lineages, all of which are inferred to have had a single colonization event followed by rapid radiation. Subsequent inter-archipelago dispersal events into Madeira and the Cape Verdes took place very recently during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene after initial diversification on the Canary Islands. The tempo of adaptive radiations differs among the groups, but is relatively rapid compared to continental and other island radiations. Our results demonstrate that opportunity for island colonization and successful radiation may have been constrained to discrete time periods of profound climatic and geological changes in northern African and the Mediterranean.

Relationships of cucumbers and melons unraveled: molecular phylogenetics of Cucumis and related genera (Benincaseae, Cucurbitaceae).

Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) comprises 33 species of annuals and perennials with a major native center of diversity in tropical and southern Africa. The genus includes some economically important and widely grown vegetables such as cucumbers and melons. Monophyly of the genus has been disputed in previous studies, but with only limited sampling. Relationships within Cucumis are thus poorly understood; moreover, the validity of the closely related genera has not been thoroughly tested. The present study was undertaken to test the monophyly of Cucumis and several closely related genera, to test sectional circumscriptions within Cucumis, and to understand the biogeographical history of the genus. We sequenced the nuclear ITS and plastid trnS-trnG regions for 40 ingroup and three outgroup taxa, representing all recognized subgenera and sections. Parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses found Cucumella, Oreosyce, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Dicaelospermum nested within Cucumis. The clades recovered within the Cucumis complex in some instances represent the first phylogenetically derived hypothesis of relationships, whereas others correspond to previous subgeneric and sectional classifications. At least four introductions from Africa to Asia, as well as one reintroduction to Africa, are suggested within the Cucumis complex. Cucumis sativus (cucumber) is strongly supported as sister to the eastern Asian C. hystrix, whereas C. melo (melon) is strongly supported as sister to C. sagittatus in southern Africa.

Geography shapes the phylogeny of frailejones (Espeletiinae Cuatrec., Asteraceae): a remarkable example of recent rapid radiation in sky islands

Background The páramo ecosystem, located above the timberline in the tropical Andes, has been the setting for some of the most dramatic plant radiations, and it is one of the world’s fastest evolving and most diverse high-altitude ecosystems. Today 144+ species of frailejones (subtribe Espeletiinae Cuatrec., Asteraceae) dominate the páramo. Frailejones have intrigued naturalists and botanists, not just for their appealing beauty and impressive morphological diversity, but also for their remarkable adaptations to the extremely harsh environmental conditions of the páramo. Previous attempts to reconstruct the evolutionary history of this group failed to resolve relationships among genera and species, and there is no agreement regarding the classification of the group. Thus, our goal was to reconstruct the phylogeny of the frailejones and to test the influence of the geography on it as a first step to understanding the patterns of radiation of these plants. Methods Field expeditions in 70 páramos of Colombia and Venezuela resulted in 555 collected samples from 110 species. Additional material was obtained from herbarium specimens. Sequence data included nrDNA (ITS and ETS) and cpDNA (rpl16), for an aligned total of 2,954 bp. Fragment analysis was performed with AFLP data using 28 primer combinations and yielding 1,665 fragments. Phylogenies based on sequence data were reconstructed under maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The AFLP dataset employed minimum evolution analyses. A Monte Carlo permutation test was used to infer the influence of the geography on the phylogeny. Results Phylogenies reconstructed suggest that most genera are paraphyletic, but the phylogenetic signal may be misled by hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting. A tree with all the available molecular data shows two large clades: one of primarily Venezuelan species that includes a few neighboring Colombian species; and a second clade of only Colombian species. Results from the Monte Carlo permutation test suggests a very strong influence of the geography on the phylogenetic relationships. Venezuelan páramos tend to hold taxa that are more distantly-related to each other than Colombian páramos, where taxa are more closely-related to each other. Conclusions Our data suggest the presence of two independent radiations: one in Venezuela and the other in Colombia. In addition, the current generic classification will need to be deeply revised. Analyses show a strong geographic structure in the phylogeny, with large clades grouped in hotspots of diversity at a regional scale, and in páramo localities at a local scale. Differences in the degrees of relatedness between sympatric species of Venezuelan and Colombian páramos may be explained because of the younger age of the latter páramos, and the lesser time for speciation of Espeletiinae in them.

Nomenclatural Changes in Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae)

ABSTRACT Recent studies show that the genus Cucumis L. in its current sense is paraphyletic, with Cucumella Chiovenda, Dicaelospermum C. B. Clarke, Mukia Arnott, Myrmecosicyos C. Jeffrey, and Oreosyce Hooker f. nested within it. A proposal to expand Cucumis to include these nested genera has therefore been made. In this paper the nomenclatural changes that are needed to accommodate the currently recognized taxa of the nested genera in Cucumis are made. The following new combinations and new names are proposed: Cucumis aetheocarpus (C. Jeffrey) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. bryoniifolius (Merxmüller) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. cinereus (Cogniaux) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. clavipetiolatus (J. H. Kirkbride) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. engleri (Gilg) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. gracilis (W. S. Kurz) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, the new name C. indicus Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. javanicus (Miquel) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. kelleri (Cogniaux) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, the new name C. kirkbridei Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. leiospermus (Wight & Arnott) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. messorius (C. Jeffrey) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. reticulatus (A. Fernandes & R. Fernandes) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, C. ritchiei (C. B. Clarke) Ghebretinsae & Thulin, and C. silentvalleyi (Manilal, T. Sabu & P. J. Mathew) Ghebretinsae & Thulin.

An expanded phylogeny of Cuphea (Lythraceae) and a North American monophyly

A phylogenetic analysis of the New World genus Cuphea was conducted employing sequences from the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast trnL-trnF spacer and rpl16 intron. The analysis expands the number of Cuphea species from 53 in an earlier ITS study to 70 and adds two chloroplast data sets in order to generate a more complete and robust phylogeny and to test a previous result that suggested the presence of a large North American clade. Results reaffirm the monophyly of Cuphea with Pleurophora as the sister genus and recover a basal divergence event that mirrors the two subgenera of the current classification. Phylogenies of the two chloroplast regions are largely unresolved beyond the initial dichotomy and some resolution at the terminal and subterminal nodes. Based on the ITS phylogeny, five major clades are recognized. Subgenus Cuphea (Clade 1), defined morphologically by the synapomorphic loss of bracteoles, is sister to the much larger subg. Bracteolatae (Clades 2–5). Clades 2–4, comprising the South American and Caribbean species, grade successively to Clade 5, an exclusively North American lineage of 29 species. Among the 12 sections included in the study, only section Trispermum, a subclade of Clade 4, is monophyletic. Section Pseudocircaea is nested within Clade 3, which is largely equivalent to section Euandra. The North American endemic clade includes four sections, of which none are recovered as monophyletic in this study.

Complete Plastome Sequence of Ludwigia octovalvis (Onagraceae), a Globally Distributed Wetland Plant

ABSTRACT Here, we present the first plastome of Ludwigia octovalvis (Onagraceae, Myrtales) as well as the first plastome in the subfamily Ludwigioideae. This genome is notable for its contracted inverted repeat regions and an expanded small single-copy region compared to other species in the orders Myrtales and Geraniales.

Genome skimming provides new insight into the relationships in Ludwigia section Macrocarpon, a polyploid complex

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Interpreting relationships within groups containing polyploids, which are frequent in angiosperms, can be greatly assisted by genomic techniques. In this study, we used a genome-skimming approach to investigate the evolutionary relationships and origins of polyploids in the monophyletic group, Ludwigia section Macrocarpon (Onagraceae), which includes diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid taxa. METHODS We sampled all known taxa and ploidy levels in the section and conducted shotgun sequencing. We assembled plastomes, mitochondrial sequences, and completed nuclear ribosomal regions, reconstructed phylogenies, and conducted comparative genomic analyses for plastomes to gain insights into the relationships among studied taxa. KEY RESULTS Within the section, results showed that the South American diploid taxa L. bonariensis and L. lagunae were closely related. We reported the first chromosome count (2n = 4× = 32) for L. neograndiflora, which is closely related to the two South American diploid taxa, although its exact origin remains unclear. The samples of the widespread, polyploid taxon L. octovalvis do not form a monophyletic group. Both tetraploid and hexaploid L. octovalvis lineages have originated more than once. At least one tetraploid in the L. octovalvis lineage may have been involved in the origins of hexaploids. One or more extinct/unsampled intermediate tetraploids in the L. octovalvis lineages had also likely been involved in the origins of hexaploids. CONCLUSIONS Genome skimming provided important insights into the complex evolutionary relationships within sect. Macrocarpon, but additional sampling and data from single-copy nuclear regions are necessary to further elucidate the origins of the polyploids in this section.

Correction for Liu et al., Complete Plastome Sequence of Ludwigia octovalvis (Onagraceae), a Globally Distributed Wetland Plant

Volume 4, no. 6, e01274-16, 2016, [https://doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.01274-16][1]. Page 1: The byline and affiliation line should read as given above. Page 1: Lines 3 and 4 of the Acknowledgments should read “ … and E. Colletti for growing plants from seeds.” [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1128/genomeA.