| Abstract Detail
Biogeography Wenk, Rebecca C. [1], Daniel, Thomas F. [1]. Phylogeny and Biogeography of Elytraria (Acanthaceae: Nelsonioideae) based on molecular sequence data from two genomes. ELYTRARIA is a genus of about 20 species of perennial herbs, found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Their distributions range from the Indian subcontinent, Madagascar, and tropical Africa in the Old World, to the southeastern United States, Greater Antilles, Mexico/ Central America, and South America in the New World. Most species have narrow distributions that are restricted to just one of the areas listed above. We used molecular sequence data from two genomes (nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast trnS-G) to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree of the genus. Preliminary results show that 1) Elytraria is monophyletic, 2) the ancestral region for the genus is the New World, 3) species endemic to the Greater Antilles form a monophyletic group, 4) the Madagascar and East African taxa form a monophyletic group sister to an unresolved clade that includes both New and Old World species. Future work will include the placement of South American species of Elytraria as well as a more in-depth look at relationship of Elytraria to the other six genera of Nelsonioideae. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - California Academy of Sciences, Department of Botany, 875 Howard Street, San Francisco, California, 94103-3009, USA
Keywords: Elytraria Acanthaceae biogeography Nelsonioideae molecular phylogenetics.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics Session: 48-209 Location: Auditorium/Bell Memorial Union Date: Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 Time: 12:30 PM Abstract ID:330 |