Open AccessThe monophyly and rapid evolution of Gentiana sect. Chondrophyllae Bunge s.l. (Gentianaceae): evidence from the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA
Author(s) -
YUAN YONGMING,
KÜPFER PHILIPPE
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1997.tb01403.x
Subject(s) - biology , monophyly , gentiana , ribosomal dna , internal transcribed spacer , phylogenetic tree , spacer dna , ribosomal rna , genus , evolutionary biology , botany , genetics , clade , gene
The nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA of 24 representative species of sect. Chondrophyllae s.l. have been determined and analysed phylogenetically, together with some species of other sections of the genus Gentiana. The ITS sequences strongly support the monophyly of the sect. Chondrophyllae s.l. as a whole complex including various different dysploid cytotypes. Species, such as G. boryi and G. pyrenaica , that had been split into distinct genera by some cytotaxonomists have been proven to be closely related. However, the ITS sequences do not provide sufficient information to make a robust estimation of the phylogenetic relationships among the closely related species and dysploid cytotypes of the complex, beyond recognizing their monophyly and rapid evolution.