Abstract Detail

Molecular Ecology and Evolution

Simon, Julia [1], Symmank, Lars [2], Samain, Marie-Stéphanie [3], Neinhuis, Christoph [4], dePamphilis, Claude W. [5], Wanke, Stefan [4].

Chasing the hare – Evaluating the utility of a nuclear single copy gene region for evolutionary biological questions at and below the species level.

While the backbone of the angiosperm tree of life can be considered to be mostly resolved, the focus on reconstructing relationships shifts increasingly towards lower taxonomic levels. The rapid development of computational power and the consistent increase of publicly available sequence data provide the basis for identifying new markers that are utile to answer evolutionary biological questions at species level and below. A comparative genomic approach was used to identify nuclear single copy genes (nSCG) that can be considered as being shared between most extant angiosperms and thus being orthologous. To evaluate the utility of a nSCG on population level we used a multi exon-intron gene (alanine:glyoxylate-aminotranferase, agt1) in a comparative phylogenetic evaluation with several cpDNA loci (trnK intron, matK gene, trnK-psbA spacer, psbA-trnH spacer, ndhF-rpl32 spacer, rpl32 gene and rpl32-trnL spacer). As model group to test its utility we chose Peperomia subgenus Tildenia, a recently radiated clade (crown age of subgenus 12 MYA, clades 6-4 MYA) belonging to one of the most species-rich plant genera whose phylogenetics itself is already challenging. We conclude that the nSCG is highly valuable for low-level phylogenetics and also useful for detecting e.g. recent polyploidization events. Using the agt1 gene we obtained similar patterns of resolution and support for major clades within subgenus Tildenia as with the combination of the multi locus study using cpDNA regions. However, we only had a third of sequencing effort and obtained both better resolution and support within the clades of subgenus Tildenia.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Botanik, Zellescher Weg 20b, Dresden, D-01062 , Germany
2 - Technische Universitaet Dresden, Institut fuer Botanik, Dresden, 01062, Germany
3 - Ghent University, Department of Biology, Research Group Spermatophytes, K.L.Ledeganckstraat 35, Gent, Belgium, B-9000
4 - Technische Universitaet Dresden, Intitut fuer Botanik, Dresden, 01062, Germany
5 - Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, 403 Life Sciences Building, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

Keywords:
species level phylogeny
species rich genus
nuclear single copy genes
cpDNA
Peperomia.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 46
Location: 552A/Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: 46003
Abstract ID:818