Abstract Detail

Phylogenomics

Zeisek, VojtÄ›ch [1], Oberlander, Kenneth [2], Dreyer, Leanne [3], Schmickl, Roswitha [1], Schneeweiss, Hanna [4].

Hunting the treasure of Cape Oxalis diversity.

Evolution of phenotypic and cytogenetic traits goes hand-in-hand with biodiversity and speciation, as new species occupy new ecological niches and undergo reproductive isolation. These processes must be seen in a historical, phylogenetic context of evolutionary relationships among species. Phylogeny explains a significant portion of species' traits in radiating organismal groups. One of the best geographic regions where we can study these processes is the Cape in southernmost Africa, long known for its enormous plant diversity and richness. One prominent if understudied Cape clade is Oxalis (Oxalidaceae). The monophyletic southern African Oxalis lineage accounts for nearly half the species diversity of the genus (ca. 230 spp.). Species are universally tunicate bulbous geophytes but exhibit substantial diversity in leaf, stem and bulb morphology. In addition, they show substantial karyological complexity. We reconstructed the phylogeny of the vast majority of southern African Oxalis (over 500 accessions) by developing a novel bioinformatics pipeline for the design of low-copy nuclear probes for target enrichment, which we used in the Hyb­-Seq approach. We obtain a robust, well-resolved tree, and based on this novel phylogenetic backbone, we study phenotypic trait evolution in this genus at an unprecedented resolution and certainty.

1 - The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
2 - Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, Benátská 2, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic
3 - Stellenbosch University, Botany and Zoology, Natural Sciences Building, Merriman avenue, Stellenbosch, WC, 7600, South Africa
4 - University of Vienna, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Rennweg 14, Vienna, 1030, Austria

Keywords:
Phylogenomics
Phylogenetics
biodiversity
Taxonomy
Evolution
Oxalis
HTS
South Africa
Greater Cape Floristic Region.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Phylogenomics
Location: Grand Ballroom - Exhibit Hall/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PPH004
Abstract ID:583
Candidate for Awards:None