Exploring Phylogenetic Relationships within a Broadly Distributed Northern Hemisphere Group of Semi-Aquatic Iris Species (Iridaceae)
Abstract—
Three series, Prismaticae, Tripetalae, and Laevigatae, in Iris subgenus Limniris comprise a clade of nine species with an affinity for wetland environments. Prior work has failed to resolve phylogenetic relationships among these taxa. We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods to analyze plastid and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequence data to infer a robust phylogeny for this circumboreal group. Our analyses recovered clades that do not reflect current series circumscriptions and show that species from Tripetalae and Laevigatae comprise one clade. Species relationships also do not reflect geographic proximity, as Asian and North American species do not assort into regional clades. This finding suggests that multiple exchanges between Asia and North America are required to explain current distributions and refutes the hypothesis that Asian taxa are the earliest diverging lineage within the clade.
Three series, Prismaticae, Tripetalae, and Laevigatae, in Iris subgenus Limniris comprise a clade of nine species with an affinity for wetland environments. Prior work has failed to resolve phylogenetic relationships among these taxa. We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods to analyze plastid and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequence data to infer a robust phylogeny for this circumboreal group. Our analyses recovered clades that do not reflect current series circumscriptions and show that species from Tripetalae and Laevigatae comprise one clade. Species relationships also do not reflect geographic proximity, as Asian and North American species do not assort into regional clades. This finding suggests that multiple exchanges between Asia and North America are required to explain current distributions and refutes the hypothesis that Asian taxa are the earliest diverging lineage within the clade.
Keywords: Asia; North America; biogeography; nrITS DNA; phylogeny; plastid DNA
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 July 2014
- Systematic Botany is the scientific journal of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and publishes four issues per year.
2011 Impact Factor: 1.517
2011 ISI Journal Citation Reports® Rankings: 87/190 - Plant Sciences
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