Molecular analyses help resolve the evolution of Platanus

Recent research on the history of Platanus has shown that complex hybridization phenomena occurred in the central American species, and its evolutionary history remains unresolved. De Castro et al. employ sequencing of a uniparental cpDNA marker (psbA–trnH^(GUG) intergenic spacer) and qualitative and quantitative SNP genotyping of biparental nrDNA markers (LFY-i2 and ITS2) to confirm that hybridization and introgression events between lineages ancestral to modern central and eastern North American Platanus species occurred. Chloroplast haplotypes and qualitative and quantitative SNP genotyping provide information critical for understanding the complex history of Mexican Platanus. Compared with the usual molecular techniques of sub-cloning, sequencing and genotyping, the real-time PCR assay employed provides a quick and sensitive technique for analysing complex evolutionary patterns.