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Fern phylogeny inferred from 400 leptosporangiate species and three plastid genes
Author(s) -
Schuettpelz Eric,
Pryer Kathleen M.
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 - 10.2307/25065903
Subject(s) - fern , phylogenetics , clade , biology , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic tree , botany , gene , genetics
In an effort to obtain a solid and balanced approximation of global fern phylogeny to serve as a tool for addressing large‐scale evolutionary questions, we assembled and analyzed the most inclusive molecular dataset for leptosporangiate ferns to date. Three plastid genes ( rbcL, atpB, atpA ), totaling more than 4,000 bp, were sequenced for each of 400 leptosporangiate fern species (selected using a proportional sampling approach) and five outgroups. Maximum likelihood analysis of these data yielded an especially robust phylogeny: 80% of the nodes were supported by a maximum likelihood bootstrap percentage ≥ 70. The scope of our analysis provides unprecedented insight into overall fern relationships, not only delivering additional support for the deepest leptosporangiate divergences, but also uncovering the composition of more recently emerging clades and their relationships to one another.