A molecular phylogeny of the fern family Pteridaceae: assessing overall relationships and the affinities of previously unsampled genera.
Abstract
The monophyletic Pteridaceae accounts for roughly 10% of extant fern diversity and
occupies an unusually broad range of ecological niches, including terrestrial, epiphytic,
xeric-adapted rupestral, and even aquatic species. In this study, we present the results
of the first broad-scale and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses of these ferns, and
determine the affinities of several previously unsampled genera. Our analyses of two
newly assembled data sets (including 169 newly obtained sequences) resolve five major
clades within the Pteridaceae: cryptogrammoids, ceratopteridoids, pteridoids, adiantoids,
and cheilanthoids. Although the composition of these clades is in general agreement
with earlier phylogenetic studies, it is very much at odds with the most recent subfamilial
classification. Of the previously unsampled genera, two (Neurocallis and Ochropteris)
are nested within the genus Pteris; two others (Monogramma and Rheopteris) are early
diverging vittarioid ferns, with Monogramma resolved as polyphyletic; the last previously
unsampled genus (Adiantopsis) occupies a rather derived position among cheilanthoids.
Interestingly, some clades resolved within the Pteridaceae can be characterized by
their ecological preferences, suggesting that the initial diversification in this
family was tied to ecological innovation and specialization. These processes may well
be the basis for the diversity and success of the Pteridaceae today.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21813Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.011Publication Info
Schuettpelz, E; Schneider, H; Huiet, L; Windham, MD; & Pryer, KM (2007). A molecular phylogeny of the fern family Pteridaceae: assessing overall relationships
and the affinities of previously unsampled genera. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 44(3). pp. 1172-1185. 10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.011. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21813.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Kathleen M. Pryer
Professor of Biology

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