Patterns of diversification in the xeric-adapted fern genus myriopteris (Pteridaceae)
Abstract
Strong selective pressures imposed by drought-prone habitats have contributed to extensive
morphological convergence among the 400 + species of cheilanthoid ferns (Pteridaceae).
As a result, generic circumscriptions based exclusively on macromorphology often prove
to be non-monophyletic. Ongoing molecular phylogenetic analyses are providing the
foundation for a revised classification of this challenging group and have begun to
clarify its complex evolutionary history. As part of this effort, we generated and
analyzed DNA sequence data for three plastid loci (rbcL, atpA, and the intergenic
spacer trnG-trnR) for the myriopterid clade, one of the largest monophyletic groups
of cheilanthoid ferns. This lineage encompasses 47 primarily North and Central American
taxa previously included in Cheilanthes but now placed in the recircumscribed genus
Myriopteris. Here, we infer a phylogeny for the group and examine key morphological
characters across this phylogeny. We also include a brief discussion of the three
well-supported Myriopteris subclades, along with a review of reproductive mode and
known ploidy levels for members of this early diverging lineage of cheilanthoid ferns.
© Copyright 2014 by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & Biomedicine
Plant Sciences
Evolutionary Biology
Apombds
Cheilanthes
convergence
molecular phylogeny
myriopterid
BAYESIAN PHYLOGENETIC INFERENCE
CHROMOSOME-NUMBERS
CHEILANTHOID FERNS
DNA-SEQUENCES
DELIMITATION
EVOLUTION
ORIGINS
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21820Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1600/036364414X681518Publication Info
Grusz, AL; Windham, MD; Yatskievych, G; Huiet, L; Gastony, GJ; & Pryer, KM (2014). Patterns of diversification in the xeric-adapted fern genus myriopteris (Pteridaceae).
Systematic Botany, 39(3). pp. 698-714. 10.1600/036364414X681518. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21820.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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