HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

What's this?

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Data Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (14) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carlsward, B. S. Articles by Bytebier, B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Carlsward, B. S. Articles by Bytebier, B. Agricola Articles by Carlsward, B. S. Articles by Bytebier, B. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Molecular phylogenetics of Vandeae (Orchidaceae) and the evolution of leaflessness¹

²Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7800 USA; ³Department of Botany, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-8526 USA; ⁴Department of Biochemistry, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag x1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Members of tribe Vandeae (Orchidaceae) form a large, pantropical clade of horticulturally important epiphytes. Monopodial leafless members of Vandeae have undergone extreme reduction in habit and represent a novel adaptation to the canopy environment in tropical Africa, Asia, and America. To study the evolution of monopodial leaflessness, molecular and structural evidence was used to generate phylogenetic hypotheses for Vandeae. Molecular analyses used sequence data from ITS nrDNA, trnL-F plastid DNA, and matK plastid DNA. Maximum parsimony analyses of these three DNA regions each supported two subtribes within monopodial Vandeae: Aeridinae and a combined Angraecinae + Aerangidinae. Adding structural characters to sequence data resulted in trees with more homoplasy, but gave fewer trees each with more well-supported clades than either data set alone. Two techniques for examining character evolution were compared: (1) mapping vegetative characters onto a molecular topology and (2) tracing vegetative characters onto a combined structural and molecular topology. In both cases, structural synapomorphies supporting monopodial Vandeae were nearly identical. A change in leaf morphology (usually reduced to a nonphotosynthetic scale), monopodial growth habit, and aeration complexes for gas exchange in photosynthetic roots seem to be the most important characters in making the evolutionary transition to leaflessness.

Key Words: ITS • matK • monopodial leaflessness • Orchidaceae • phylogeny • trnL-F • Vandeae

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Alvarez-Molina and K. M. Cameron Molecular phylogenetics of Prescottiinae s.l. and their close allies (Orchidaceae, Cranichideae) inferred from plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences Am. J. Botany, May 1, 2009; 96(5): 1020 - 1040. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G. Conran, J. M. Bannister, and D. E. Lee Earliest orchid macrofossils: Early Miocene Dendrobium and Earina (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) from New Zealand Am. J. Botany, February 1, 2009; 96(2): 466 - 474. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]