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Abstract Detail



Systematics Section/ASPT

Maul, Karola [1], Nickrent, Daniel [2], Mueller, Kai [3], Quandt, Dietmar [1], Wicke, Susann [3].

Phylogeny and evolution of the mistletoe genus Viscum based upon non-coding plastid and nuclear DNA markers.

The mistletoe genus Viscum (Viscaceae, Santalales) comprises between 70 and 100 obligate parasitic species in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Viscum species are aerial parasites that retain the ability to photosynthesize to a greater or lesser extent while feeding on a wide range of woody hosts. The genus also includes an endoparasitic form, V. minimum, which infests succulent Euphorbia species in Southern Africa. Based on morphological characters, several taxononomic rearrangements and different classifications have been proposed for Viscum during the past century, but none of these have been tested using a molecular phylogenetic approach so far. Here, we present the first molecular phylogeny of Viscum based upon fast evolving plastid markers and the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions. Our final dataset comprises a representative sampling from the major distribution areas of the genus, allowing us to reconstruct the colonization history and its approximate timing. Using Bayesian and likelihood approaches, we evaluate changes of morphological characters and the evolution of polyploidy in the genus Viscum, and we will focus on the importance of host range shifts during its diversification. We will also test the extent to which the traditional classifications of Viscum represent natural groups, or if phylogenetic relationships rather correlate with species distribution ranges.

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1 - Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, Bonn, 53115, Germany
2 - Southern Illinois University, Department of Plant Biology, 1125 Lincoln Drive, CARBONDALE, IL, 62901-6509, USA
3 - Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Muenster, Huefferstr. 1, Muenster, 48149, Germany

Keywords:
mistletoes
Viscum
parasitic plants
phylogeny
character evolution.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Grand Salon A - D/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PSY038
Abstract ID:144
Candidate for Awards:None


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