Abstract Detail

Systematics

Stubbs, Rebecca [1], Folk, Ryan [2], Xiang, Chun-Lei [3], Soltis, Douglas [4], Cellinese, Nico [5].

The evolution of cold-adapted plants: A phylogenomic analysis of Micranthes (Saxifragaceae).

Flora endemic to the cold habitats, i.e., mountains and Arctic, of the northern hemisphere provide important systems for investigating diversification and disjunctions, given both the intense climatic fluctuations that have occurred and the fascinating biogeographic patterns found in these region. Investigating these biogeographic patterns provides insight into speciation and biodiversity at multiple spatial and phylogenetic scales. Micranthes (Saxifragaceae), a clade of small-flowered herbs comprising 75 species, is an ideal group for investigating the evolution and diversification of plants in montane and Arctic ecosystems, which are especially vulnerable to climate change. Over one-third of all species of Micranthes are cold-adapted-in comparison to only four percent of all known vascular plant species-suggesting that this group is specialized for these conditions. This is further supported by the fact that many of the cold-adapted Micranthes have a suite of specialized morphological and reproductive traits not seen in low-elevation and low-latitude species of this clade, including leaf succulence, strongly asymmetric corollas, and asexual reproduction through bulbils. By reconstructing a time-calibrated phylogeny based on 518 low-copy nuclear markers, and concomitantly, a phylogeny reconstructed from the majority of the plastid, we will use the largest and most well-resolved phylogeny to date of Micranthes as a model system for exploring the evolution and geographic spread of cold-adapted plants.

1 - University Of Florida, 1659 Museum Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
2 - Florida Museum Of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
3 - Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan, 650201, China
4 - University of Florida, Biology, Gainesville, FL
5 - University Of Florida, FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NAT. HISTORY, 1659 Museum Rd., 354 Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States

Keywords:
Phylogenomics
Micranthes
saxifragaceae
arctic plants
disjunctions
alpine.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 19, ASPT Cooley Awards I
Location: 110/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Time: 8:15 AM
Number: 19002
Abstract ID:367
Candidate for Awards:George R. Cooley Award