Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Danthoniopsis and Related Genera (Arundinelleae s.l., Panicoideae, Poaceae)
Danthoniopsis and related genera (Poaceae): caryopses and cladogram
In the current classification of grasses, Danthoniopsis is considered incertae sedis within the clade Panicoideae/Centothecoideae. Previously this and nine other genera with approximately 90 species have been classified within Arundinelleae in Panicoideae or Pooideae. This tribe was conceived to group all these genera based on the morphological similarity of their members. However, scattered sampling of nuclear and chloroplast sequence data analyses have revealed that Danthoniopsis and two other close morphologically related genera are paraphyletic to Arundinelleae. The resemblance between Arundinella and Danthoniopsis was based on convergent characters; however, this cannot be completely assured until a proper phylogeny including all other members of the tribe sensu lato is obtained. Recently, a new tribe has been suggested to accommodate Danthoniopsis and related genera within the Panicoideae-Centothecoideae clade, narrowing the circumscription of Arundinelleae. On the other hand, relationships among Danthoniopsis and related genera still remain obscure as generic delimitation is still weak. Divergent generic circumscriptions and relationships among these genera have been proposed based on phenetic analyses of morphological features. Therefore there is an urgent need to define boundaries between these genera. The main objective of this study is the generation of a phylogeny of these genera as well as the establishment of phylogenetic relationships within the Panicoideae/Centothecoideae clade. In order to carry out this objective, nuclear (GBSSI gene) and chloroplast (ndhF gene) sequence data as well as structural data will be generated. Phylogenetic analyses will be run in order to accomplish the main objective of this study. A monograph of the group under study will be also planned as plant materials and time permit.
Project Team
Herbarium
Gabriel Sanchez-Ken, David Simpson
Jodrell Laboratory
Mark Chase