Mediterranean firs appeared millions of years earlier than was supposed, and likely through a single colonization event from Asia.
Category - Taxonomy & Evolution
Erin Zimmerman
Evolutionary history of Pseudotaxus: old lineage, young populations
In southeast China there is a puzzle. Pseudotaxus chienii lives as a relict, a plant that used to have a much wider geographic range. Now it’s limited to comparatively few locations. This is common for many plants that...
Fi Gennu
Scaly Tree Ferns Have Slow and Steady Diversification
Did the Cyatheaceae become such a diverse family slowly over time, or in spurts? The largest molecular sampling yet points to gradual accumulation of species.
Distribution of Veronica polyploids is influenced by both habitat differentiation and historic glaciation
Species with higher ploidy levels prefer cooler, wetter habitats than diploids.
Arabidopsis halleri: a model system for studying population differentiation and local adaptation
Whilst studies on Arabidopsis thaliana have generally been highly molecular and/or genetic in nature, most studies using A. halleri have addressed adaptation and variation in adaptive traits in the species’ natural...
William Salter
A diversity of lipid composition in the seeds and fruits of the palm family
Palms are vitally important due to their high vegetable oil production, which can occur in both fruits and seeds. The full range of lipid storage and composition, however, hasn’t been well understood across this large...
Identifying the biodiversity of the Mayan underworld
In the caves of Quintana Roo, there are not only stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There are tree roots too, but the roots of which trees?
Dale Maylea
Hybrids: A dead end or the future?
Chromosomes in a hybrid Crocus The New York Times has an informative and thoughtful article by Sean Carroll about interspecific hybrids this week. The article starts with photographs of a range of remarkable animal...
Editor Pat Heslop-Harrison
Nickel hyperaccumulation and systematics of Alysseae
Nickel hyperaccumulation and systematics of Alysseae Nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulation is a rare form of physiological specialization shared by a small number of angiosperms growing on ultramafic soils. Molecular...
botanyone
Evolution of mycoheterotrophy from mixotrophic ancestors
Evolution of mycoheterotrophy from mixotrophic ancestors Nutritional changes associated with the evolution of achlorophyllous, mycoheterotrophic plants have not been inferred within a robust phylogenetic framework...
Mixed mating and colonization potential of a fern
Mixed mating and colonization potential of a fern Environmental change leads to increasing selection pressure on the capacity of plants to colonize new areas. Wubs et al. show that the colonization success of the fern...
Phylogeography and acquisition of dioecy in Malvaceae
In the Mascarenes, a young oceanic archipelago, the Dombeyoideae have extensively diversified and have evolved specific breeding systems compared to the continental species. By constructing a molecular phylogeny, Le...
