Abstract Detail

Phylogenomics

Hansen, Kimberly [1], Clavijo, Laura [2], Zuluaga, Alejandro [3], Roalson, Eric [4].

Diversification of Kohleria (Gesneriaceae).

Nearly all of the 1200+ species of Gesneriaceae native to the neotropics belong to the Gesnerioideae subfamily. The Gesnerieae tribe is an important understory component of Andean and adjacent low elevation wet forests and account for 75% of the family’s New World diversity. Many members of the Gloxinieae subtribe are unusual within Gesneriaceae because they produce scaly rhizomes and display other adaptations that allow them to occupy arid and open habitats. Kohleria is a genus of 25 taxa distributed from Mexico to Peru with a center of diversity in the Colombian Andes. It was reduced from more than 70 taxa to 22 taxa by Kvist and Skog in 1992, then later expanded to include Capanea, and a new species from Ecuador. Molecular phylogenies place Kohleria sister to Pearca, a genus restricted to wet Andean forests. About half of Kohleria species produce rhizomes and grow in open habitats whereas the other half are restricted to humid forest understory habitats. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among species of Kohleria and test hypotheses proposed by Kvist and Skog regarding sister relationships, reticulate evolution, and niche conservatism. Using customized probe sets, we sequenced more than 500 nuclear genes. We constructed phylogenetic hypotheses using both a concatenated / maximum likelihood framework as well as species tree frameworks (e.g., ASTRAL) to examine relationships among taxa, patterns of niche conservatism, and patterns of hybridization and introgression.

1 - Washington State University, School Of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, WA, 99164, United States
2 - Calle 167D # 8-58, Torre 8 Apt. 826, Bogota, 110131, Colombia
3 - Universidad del Valle, Departamento de Biología, Cali, Colombia
4 - Washington State University, School of Biological Sciences, Abelson Hall 339, Pullman, WA, 99163, United States

Keywords:
Gesneriaceae
Kohleria
Andes Mountains
high throughput sequencing.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: PHYLOIV, Phylogenomics IV
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Friday, July 23rd, 2021
Time: 1:45 PM(EDT)
Number: PHYLOIV006
Abstract ID:825
Candidate for Awards:None