(American Journal of Botany. ;91:0.)
© Botanical Society of America, Inc.
Asian Annonaceae
Mols et al. present the first fully documented molecular phylogeny published for any Annonaceae. Such a study of the largest and most diverse family of primitive angiosperms is overdue and welcome. Incorporating nucleotide sequences from 114 Annonaceae, including 24 Miliuseae species and two outgroups, it supports a number of significant findings regarding Annonaceae phylogeny. The research is also noteworthy for its demonstration that for this family the rbcL and trnL-F data sets combined yields a stronger phylogenetic signal than either one alone.
(see p. 590)
A paper in this issue by Sanders et al. considers some of the most basic questions in lichenology. What is a lichen? Are certain lichen-like symbioses excluded from the definition just because they feature unusual symbionts? For the first time Sanders et al. present very detailed and convincing data that a Verrucaria (pyrenomycete fungus)-Pteroderma (brown alga) association is indeed a lichen. Their morphological and anatomical analysis, supported by excellent illustrations, leaves no doubt about this, according to reviewers. The remarkable ability of fungi to form structurally similar lichen associations with widely different types of algae is highlighted.
(see p. 511)
Kim et al. make a significant step forward in firmly establishing that DNA from well-preserved Miocene (17-20 million years ago) plant fossils can reliably be amplified and then directly compared with extant species. They report a partial ndhF sequence of Magnolia latahensis and a partial rbcL sequence of Persea pseudocarolinensis; both species were found in the Clarkia fossil beds of Idaho, USA. This finding opens up numerous avenues of research, including directly establishing rates of molecular evolution, assessing species turnover in floras, and checking the identification/generic assignments of problematic fossils.
(see p. 615)
Fuchsia, a fascinating and distinctive genus in the Onagraceae, is the subject of a systematic study by Berry et al. Compared with previous studies, sampling is increased within Fuchsia and sequence data from both the nuclear and chloroplast genomes are represented. Of particular interest is the authors' discussion regarding their molecular clock and the biogeography of Fuchsia. While they point out that basal resolution is mostly lacking, they incorporate previous and current research to hypothesize a new origin and subsequent radiation of Fuchsia.
(see p. 601)
