Newly resolved relationships in an early land plant lineage: Bryophyta class Sphagnopsida (peat mosses).
Abstract
UNLABELLED: PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The Sphagnopsida, an early-diverging lineage of
mosses (phylum Bryophyta), are morphologically and ecologically unique and have profound
impacts on global climate. The Sphagnopsida are currently classified in two genera,
Sphagnum (peat mosses) with some 350-500 species and Ambuchanania with one species.
An analysis of phylogenetic relationships among species and genera in the Sphagnopsida
were conducted to resolve major lineages and relationships among species within the
Sphagnopsida. • METHODS: Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences from the nuclear,
plastid, and mitochondrial genomes (11 704 nucleotides total) were conducted and analyzed
using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference employing seven different substitution
models of varying complexity. • KEY RESULTS: Phylogenetic analyses resolved three
lineages within the Sphagnopsida: (1) Sphagnum sericeum, (2) S. inretortum plus Ambuchanania
leucobryoides, and (3) all remaining species of Sphagnum. Sister group relationships
among these three clades could not be resolved, but the phylogenetic results indicate
that the highly divergent morphology of A. leucobryoides is derived within the Sphagnopsida
rather than plesiomorphic. A new classification is proposed for class Sphagnopsida,
with one order (Sphagnales), three families, and four genera. • CONCLUSIONS: The Sphagnopsida
are an old lineage within the phylum Bryophyta, but the extant species of Sphagnum
represent a relatively recent radiation. It is likely that additional species critical
to understanding the evolution of peat mosses await discovery, especially in the southern
hemisphere.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4194Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3732/ajb.1000055Publication Info
Shaw, A Jonathan; Cox, Cymon J; Buck, William R; Devos, Nicolas; Buchanan, Alex M;
Cave, Lynette; ... Temsch, Eva M (2010). Newly resolved relationships in an early land plant lineage: Bryophyta class Sphagnopsida
(peat mosses). Am J Bot, 97(9). pp. 1511-1531. 10.3732/ajb.1000055. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4194.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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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
A. Jonathan Shaw
Professor of Biology
My research centers on the evolution and diversity
of bryophytes. Current projects in the lab include
molecular phylogenetic analyses of familial and
ordinal level relationships in the arthrodontous
mosses, studies of hybridization using molecular
and morphological markers, and
investigations of cryptic speciation within
geographically widespread species.

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