Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biology, Duke University, 139 Biological Sciences Building, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 2 Science & Education, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA
  • 3 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
  • 4 Department of Biology, Duke University, 139 Biological Sciences Building, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
  • 5 Department of Biology I and Geobio-Center, Ludwig Maximilian University, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
  • 6 Science & Policy Group, Department of Conservation, Private Bag 68908, Newton, Auckland 1145, New Zealand
  • 7 Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
  • 8 11 Rue Saint Léon, 66000 Perpignan, France
Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2017 02;107:16-26.
PMID: 27744015 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.10.002

Abstract

Frullania subgenus Microfrullania is a clade of ca. 15 liverwort species occurring in Australasia, Malesia, and southern South America. We used combined nuclear and chloroplast sequence data from 265 ingroup accessions to test species circumscriptions and estimate the biogeographic history of the subgenus. With dense infra-specific sampling, we document an important role of long-distance dispersal in establishing phylogeographic patterns of extant species. At deeper time scales, a combination of phylogenetic analyses, divergence time estimation and ancestral range estimation were used to reject vicariance and to document the role of long-distance dispersal in explaining the evolution and biogeography of the clade across the southern Hemisphere. A backbone phylogeny for the subgenus is proposed, providing insight into evolution of morphological patterns and establishing the basis for an improved sectional classification of species within Microfrullania. Several species complexes are identified, the presence of two undescribed but genetically and morphologically distinct species is noted, and previously neglected names are discussed.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.