Abstract Detail

Systematics Section

Paudyal, Sushil K. [1], Delprete, Piero D. [2], Motley, Timothy J. [1].

Phylogenetic relationships within Catesbaeeae Chiococceae Complex (Rubiaceae).

The Catesbaeeae Chiococceae Complex (CCC) is a monophyletic tribe in the subfamily Cinchonoideae (Rubiaceae) that includes 29 genera and over 200 species primarily concentrated in the Greater Antilles (over 70% of the taxa), but also occurring in the western Pacific islands (three genera) with no members occurring on the expansive Pacific plate. Molecular phylogenies using ITS and trnL-F have now established monophyly of this group although several genera (Bikkia, Chiococca, Exostema, and Solenandra) within the complex have been shown to be poly- or paraphyletic as presently treated. Spurred by an extensive collecting trip in Cuba, phylogenetic sampling has been expanded to include the yet unplaced genera Ceuthocarpus, Lorencea, and Nernstia and increased sampling in the large genera Catesbaea, Exostema, Phialanthus, Schmidtottia, and Scolosanthus. New molecular sequence data obtained using two nuclear (ITS and ETS) and two chloroplast (trnL-F and petD) markers were analyzed using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference to evaluate the inter-generic and intra-generic relationships among over 90 species from 26 genera within the CCC. The addition of the two additional genes (ETS and petD) to the data matrix has resolved the polytomy that existed among major clades (deep nodes) in previous studies. The increased resolution provides more confidence for inferring character evolution and the unusual disjunct biogeographic patterns in this diverse Caribbean- Pacific lineage.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Old Dominion University, Biological Sciences, 110 Mills Godwin Building, West 45th Street, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
2 - Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), Herbier de Guyane, Boite Postale 165, Cayenne Cédex, 97323, French Guiana, France

Keywords:
Biogeography
Catesbaeeae
Caribbean
Chiococceae
Greater Antilles
Islands
Pacific
Rubiaceae.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 49
Location: 552B/Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 9:30 AM
Number: 49007
Abstract ID:162