| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section / ASPT Graham, Sean W. [1], Saarela, Jeffery M. [1], Rai, Hardeep [1], Smith, Selena Y. [2]. Near the root of monocot phylogeny? A series of recent phylogenetic studies have shed light on relationships among the deepest branches of the monocot portion of the tree of life, culminating in the recognition that a small family of "melanthioid" monocots, Petrosaviaceae, is likely the sister group of all monocots except Acorus and Alismatales. Most studies also agree that Acorus defines the deepest split in monocot phylogeny, but several have reported a placement of this taxon within Alismatales. We examine current hypotheses of basal monocot relationship using a large plastid data set and published mitochondrial data, and explore the possibility that Acorus may become misplaced during phylogenetic analysis due to an elevated rate of molecular evolution in at least part of the mitochondrial genome. Strong conflicts have also been reported within Alismatales concerning the relative arrangements of its three major component clades: Araceae (incorporating the duckweeds), Tofieldiaceae (another "melanthioid" splinter) and the core alismatid families (Alismataceae, Zosteraceae and others). We estimate error rates on the inference of these discordant relationships, and summarize additional findings on relationships among the core alismatid families.
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1 - University of British Columbia, Botanical Garden And Centre For Plant Research, 6804 Sw Marine Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
2 - University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Centre, Cw 405, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
Keywords:
Choroplast Genomes, Angiosperms, Genome Evolution
Monocots
mitochondrial genes
rate heterogeneity
error
bias
simulation studies
Melanthiaceae
Petrosaviaceae
Tofieldiaceae
Araceae
Acorus
Alismatales
tree rooting
tree of life.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 3-1
Location: Salon J - Austin Grand Ballroom/Hilton
Date: Monday, August 15th, 2005
Time: 8:15 AM
Abstract ID:432 |
