| Abstract Detail
Bryological and Lichenological Section/ABLS Harris, Eric S.J. [1]. Phylogenetic Relationships and Flavonoid Evolution in the Moss Genus Plagiomnium Kop.. Plagiomnium Kop. is a cosmopolitan genus of mosses which includes 28 species. Plagiomnium grows primarily in temperate areas and is recognizable by its dimorphic growth habit, which consists of both orthotropic and plagiotropic shoots. Although the taxonomy of this group has been well studied, the evolutionary history of the group is not well known. In this study, a phylogeny of Plagiomnium was reconstructed using morphological characters and molecular sequence data from the chloroplast gene regions rps4 and rpL16. The phylogeny was used to assess prior subgeneric classifications of the genus, and to address the potential nesting of the Southeast Asian genus Orthomnion within Plagiomnium. The potential nested position of Orthomnion is interesting because most species of Orthomnion are epiphytic, whereas all members of Plagiomnium are terrestrial. In addition to making these taxonomic assessments, the phylogeny was used in a preliminary examination of the function and mode of evolution of flavonoids in Plagiomnium. To address hypotheses regarding the function and evolution of flavonoids in the genus, flavonoid information from the literature was mapped onto a pruned phylogeny and compared with ecological information. Preliminary studies were also conducted to assess patterns of variation of flavonoid biosynthetic genes in Plagiomnium, such as CHS and CHI, and the potential utility of these genes for phylogenetic reconstruction.
1 - University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
Keywords: Plagiomnium moss phylogenetics rps4 rpL16 flavonoids.
Presentation Type: Paper Session: 35-6 Location: Ballroom 3 (Cliff Lodge) Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004 Time: 3:30 PM Abstract ID:847 |