GOFFINET, BERNARD1*, A. JONATHAN SHAW2, and SANDRA BOLES2. 1Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 75 North Eagleville road, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT, 06268-3043; 2Dept. of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, 27708. - Multigene phylogenetic reconstruction of the family Orthotrichaceae (Bryophyta).
The cosmopolitan family Orthotrichaceae comprise 27 genera arranged
into to subfamilies. The Orthotrichoideae comprises primarily
acrocarpous taxa distributed in temperate parts of the world , whereas
the Macromitrioideae accommodates cladocarpous taxa centered in
(sub-)tropical regions. Our taxon sampling encompasses much of the
generic and subgeneric diversity within the family. Analyses of
nucleotide sequences of the trnL-trnF region, the rps4 and rbcL genes
supports this systematic concept. Chloroplast data also reveal a para-
or polyphyletic nature of the large speciose genera Orthotrichum
Zygodon and Macromitrium. Broadening the character sampling to the
mitochondrial (nad5 gene) and the nuclear genome (portion of the LEAFY
gene) are currently underway to test these hypotheses. These data will
also aid in addressing the hypothesis inferred from morphological and
chloroplast suggesting that the genus Bryomaltaea (Orthotrichoideae,
Zygodonteae) is either of hybrid origin or represents the most basal
lineage within the family.
Key words: Bryophyta, nad, Orthotrichaceae, phylogeny, rbcL, rps4, trnL