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Phylogeny and ecological radiation of New World thistles ( Cirsium , Cardueae – Compositae) based on ITS and ETS rDNA sequence data
Author(s) -
Kelch Dean G.,
Baldwin Bruce G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.01710.x
Subject(s) - biology , lineage (genetic) , internal transcribed spacer , ecology , thistle , evolutionary biology , taxon , phylogenetic tree , genetics , gene
Sequence data from a portion of the external transcribed spacer (ETS) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS‐1 and ITS‐2) of 18S‐26S nuclear ribosomal DNA were used to resolve historical biogeography and ecology of true thistles ( Cirsium , Cardueae, Compositae) in the New World. The 650 base‐pair, 3′ portion of the ETS examined here showed a level of variation across taxa similar to that of the ITS sequences included. A maximum‐likelihood tree based on combined ETS and ITS sequences leads us to suggest that the New World species of true thistles constitute a major lineage, which in turn comprises several smaller lineages. A western North American lineage shows weak quartet‐puzzling support, but includes a well‐supported lineage of species endemic to the California Floristic Province. Comparisons of this Californian lineage with other neoendemic angiosperm groups of the region show that the Californian Cirsium lineage exhibits unusually high ecological diversity for a group displaying such low levels of rDNA sequence divergence across taxa. Similarly low levels of sequence divergence were found throughout the New World Cirsium lineage. These results indicate either that Cirsium underwent a rapid ecological radiation in North America, or that rDNA evolution in North American Cirsium has been highly conservative.