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Molecular phylogeny of the fern family Blechnaceae (Polypodiales) with a revised genus‐level treatment
Author(s) -
Gasper André L.,
Almeida Thaís E.,
Dittrich Vinícius A. de O.,
Smith Alan R.,
Salino Alexandre
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
cladistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.323
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1096-0031
pISSN - 0748-3007
DOI - 10.1111/cla.12173
Subject(s) - fern , genus , biology , phylogenetics , molecular phylogenetics , zoology , evolutionary biology , botany , genetics , gene
Blechnaceae, a leptosporangiate fern family nested within eupolypods II , comprises 200–250 species, typically divided among seven to nine genera. Despite recent molecular studies of the family, it still lacks a modern taxonomic update based on broad sampling from the two centres of diversity—the Neotropics and Australasia/Oceania. To test generic circumscriptions, we have assembled the broadest dataset thus far, from three plastid regions ( rbc L, rps 4‐ trn S, trn L ‐trn F) and with taxonomic sampling focused on both major diversity centres. Our sampling includes 156 taxa and 178 newly generated sequences. We recognize three subfamilies, each corresponding to a highly supported clade across all analyses (maximum parsimony, Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood). The genera Salpichlaena , Stenochlaena and Telmatoblechnum are monophyletic, while Blechnum is polyphyletic, because Brainea , Doodia and Sadleria all nest within it. We outline and explain a plan to resolve the polyphyly of Blechnum by recognizing additional, monophyletic, segregate genera.