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Resolving phylogenetic reconstruction in Menispermaceae (Ranunculales) using fossils and a novel statistical test
Author(s) -
Jacques Frédéric M.B.,
Gallut Cyril,
Vignes-Lebbe Régine,
Zaragüeta i Bagils René
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.1002/tax.562010
Subject(s) - menispermaceae , cladistics , eudicots , monophyly , phylogenetic tree , biology , phylogenetics , evolutionary biology , zoology , taxonomy (biology) , clade , botany , genetics , alkaloid , gene
Menispermaceae (Moonseed family) are an important family within the basal eudicots. This study is a first attempt to infer phylogenetic relationships within Menispermaceae, focusing on morphological data and using cladistic methodology. Sampling included genera from all the eight tribes usually recognized within the family, and was representative of the morphological diversity and worldwide distribution of the group. Preliminary trees were poorly resolved and were optimized using Reduced Cladistic Consensus (RCC) and NoiseSnapper. The latter program was used for the first time in phylogeny. In addition, fossils of the Eocene of the Paris Basin were included in the analysis. All three approaches were useful as they allowed for improvement of resolution. None of the tribes were found to be monophyletic except Menispermeae. We also show that fruit characters are unreliable and should not be used for classification.