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GRAPPLING WITH CONFLICT AMONG INFORMATION SOURCES IN RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF LAND PLANTS
Author(s) -
Delwiche C.F.,
Karol K. G.,
McCourt R. M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.00001-52.x
Subject(s) - biology , phylogenetics , taxon , evolutionary biology , divergence (linguistics) , plant evolution , ecology , genome , gene , genetics , linguistics , philosophy
Although a close relationship between embryophytes (land plants) and charophycean green algae has been discussed for over a hundred years, the precise nature of this relationship remains uncertain. This is largely because of difficulty reconstructing the phylogeny of the basal members of this group. Recent analyses of SSU rDNA, rbcL , and concatenated chloroplast genes have all produced different phylogenies, and none is fully compatible with morphological data. Noteworthy conflict is apparent in the positions of the unicellular flagellate Mesostigma and the filamentous epiphyte Chaetosphaeridium. Several phenomena could result in such incongruence, including problems with the underlying data (taxon ID, sequence determination, alignment, etc.), choice of analytical method, lack of resolution with one or more of the datasets, unrecognized paralogy, and horizontal gene transfer. We have examined each of these possible sources of incongruence, and have determined that several factors underlie the apparent conflict among phylogenies. When these factors are taken into account a consensus molecular phylogeny begins to emerge. Despite the long divergence time in question, the prospects for reconstruction of land plant phylogeny are good.