6533b830fe1ef96bd129716b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The monophyly and evolution of Cynara L. (Asteraceae) sensu lato: evidence from the Internal Transcribed Spacer region of nrDNA

Lavinia RobbaMark A. CarineStephen J. RussellFrancesco Maria Raimondo

subject

biologyAsteraceae Carduinae Cynara Arcyna molecular phylogeny ITS pseudogenes hybridisationCynaraPlant ScienceAsteraceaebiology.organism_classificationMonophylyTaxonSensuGenusBotanyMolecular phylogeneticsInternal transcribed spacerEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematics

description

The monophyly and evolution of Cynara was investigated using ITS sequence data. Parsimony analysis supports the monophyly of Cynara sensu lato, i.e. including the distinctive taxa C. humilis and C. tournefortii. This contradicts the recent decision to create a new monotypic genus Arcyna for C. tournefortii. A hypothesised close relationship between C. tournefortii and Silybum Adans. is also refuted. Four of the five species of Cynara, for which multiple accessions were sequenced, were shown to be monophyletic but C. baetica was found to be non-monophyletic. Free energy estimates for ITS1 secondary structure and conservation of the 5.8S region suggest that this is not due to the occurrence of pseudogenes. Hybridisation is a plausible explanation but evidence for the likely parents involved in such an event is inconclusive.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2005-05-25Plant Systematics and Evolution
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-004-0259-3