Create your own conference schedule! Click here for full instructions

Abstract Detail


Colloquia: Emerging Results from Studies of Gymnosperms on the Tree of Life II

Ickert-Bond, Stefanie M. [1], Raubeson, Linda A. [2], Rydin, Catarina [3], Peery, Rhiannon [4], Metzgar, Jordan S. [5].

Comparative Plastid Genomics in Ephedra: Digging Deeper.

Relationships in Ephedra (Ephedraceae, Gnetales) have been largely unresolved owing to few informative characters in investigated gene regions and substantial plasticity in gross morphological traits. Recent studies with a comprehensive species sampling of Ephedra based on 10 loci from the chloroplast and nuclear genomes indicate a basal grade of Mediterranean species and thus a possible origin of the crown group of Ephedra in the Mediterranean region (northern Africa, southern Europe, the Near East). However, these basal divergences still have little statistical support owing to the limited signal in the loci so far included. Here, we perform phylogenetic analyses of complete plastid genomes from 25 species of Ephedra, to estimate relationships among major clades. Analyses indicate that soon after its origin, Ephedra diverged into three clades: (1) a basal Mediterranean clade, and (2) an Asian clade, that is in turn sister to (3) a New World clade, within which two independent introductions into North America are supported. As compared to previous results, phylogenetic analyses of complete plastid genomes provide stronger support for deep divergences between major lineages of Ephedra.

Broader Impacts:


Log in to add this item to your schedule

Related Links:
Gymnosperms Tree of Life Project
Ickert-Bond lab


1 - University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dept. of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, UA Museum of the North, 907 Yukon Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
2 - Central Washington University, Department of Biological Sciences, 400 E University Way, Ellensburg, WA, 98926-7537, USA
3 - Stockholm University, Department of Botany, Lilla Frescativägen 5, Stockholm, SE-10691, Sweden
4 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Integrative Biology, Dept. of Plant Biology, 286 Morrill Hall , 505 S. Goodwin Ave. , Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
5 - University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dept. of Biology & Wildlife, 211 Irving 1, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

Keywords:
Ephedra
Comparative genomics
plastid genome
phylogeny.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C2
Location: Ballroom C/Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Time: 1:15 PM
Number: C2002
Abstract ID:483


Copyright © 2000-2010, Botanical Society of America. All rights