Abstract Detail

Systematics Section/ASPT

Stephens, Jessica [1], Rogers, Willie [1], Heyduk, Karolina [1], Determann, Ron [2], Cruse-Sanders, Jennifer [2], Malmberg, Russell [1].

Resolving the Phylogenetic Relationships of the Carnivorous Plant Genus Sarracenia using Gene Target Enrichment.

The evolution of carnivorous plants has long fascinated naturalists and biologists. This unique adaptation to survive in nutrient poor habitats has evolved at least six times in flowering plants. Phylogenies currently exist for many of these groups, yet the evolutionary relationships of one of the more well studied carnivorous plants, Sarracenia, remain largely ambiguous. Previous attempts at constructing a well-resolved phylogeny for the genus using sequence data have been unable to resolve polytomies, most likely due to a recent adaptive radiation compounded with frequent ongoing hybridization between species. These processes result in high levels of gene tree discordance more frequently than expected. Multilocus data can mitigate these issues; increasing the numbers of loci sequenced is expected to lead to more precise model parameters and therefore increase nodal support values in phylogenetic analyses. Here, we used target enrichment of 287 genes across 71 individuals of the genus, representing the 11 species listed in Mellichamp and Case (2009), and a combination of 10 putative infraspecific taxa listed by Mellichamp and Case (2009) and McPherson and Schnell (2011), and 2 outgroups within the family Sarraceniaceae on an Illumina HiSeq platform. Species tree estimations were conducted using multiple phylogenetic analyses (e.g. MP-EST, STEM-hy). Results from these coalescent approaches show high resolution and support for many of the relationships within the genus. Specifically, the genus consists of two subclades. The first subclade comprises S. purpurea, S. rosea, S. minor, S. psittacina, and S. flava, with the last two as sister taxa which supports previous results. Sarracenia oreophila, S. alata, S. leucophylla, S. alabamensis, S. jonesii, and S. rubra comprise the second subclade. The Sarracenia purpurea complex is monophyletic, while many individuals of the Sarracenia rubra complex are polyphyletic; this may be due to hybridization or possibly incomplete lineage sorting within the S. rubra complex. Overall, understanding these relationships can better facilitate future research on the evolution of carnivory in this group. In addition, this study highlights the use of multilocus data in elucidating evolutionary relationships among recently radiated or hybridizing taxa.

1 - University Of Georgia, Plant Biology, 2502 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
2 - Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave., NE, Atlanta, GA, 30309, USA

Keywords:
Sarracenia
phylogenetics
Coalescent Methods
target enrichment.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 34
Location: Evergreen/Grove
Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2014
Time: 11:45 AM
Number: 34014
Abstract ID:443
Candidate for Awards:None