Multigene sequence data have great potential for elucidating important and interesting evolutionary processes, but statistical methods extracting information from such remain limited. Although various biological processes may cause different genes to genealogical histories (and hence tree topologies), we also expect that the number of distinct topologies among a set is relatively small compared with possible topologies. Therefore evidence about topology one gene should influence our...

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Abstract Aim The tomato family Solanaceae is distributed on all major continents except Antarctica and has its centre of diversity in South America. Its worldwide distribution suggests multiple long‐distance dispersals within between the New Old Worlds. Here, we apply maximum likelihood ( ML ) methods newly developed biogeographical stochastic mapping BSM to infer ancestral range estimate frequency dispersal vicariance events resulting present‐day distribution. Location Worldwide. Methods...

Differences in floral traits among plant species have often been attributed to adaptation pollinators. We explored the importance of pollinator shifts explaining divergence 15 Iochroma. examined four continuously varying traits: corolla length, nectar reward, display size, and flower color. Pollinator associations were characterized with a measure (the product visitation pollen deposition) for groups pollinators: hummingbirds, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera. A phylogenetic generalized...

Although the importance of regulatory and functional sequence evolution in generating species differences has been studied to some extent, much less is known about role other types genomic changes, such as fluctuation gene copy number. Here, we apply analyses function expression anthocyanin pigment pathway genes, well cosegregation backcross populations, examine genetic changes involved shift from blue red flowers Andean Iochroma (Solanaceae). We demonstrate that deletion a coding for an...

One classic explanation for the remarkable diversity of flower colors across angiosperms involves evolutionary shifts among different types pollinators with color preferences. However, pollinator shift model fails to account many examples variation within clades that share same pollination system. An alternate is competition model, which suggests divergence evolves in response interspecific pollinators, as a means decrease movements. This predicts overdispersion communities relative null...

Why are some traits and trait combinations exceptionally common across the tree of life, whereas others vanishingly rare? The distribution diversity a clade at any time depends on ancestral state clade, rate which new phenotypes evolve, differences in speciation extinction rates lineages, whether an equilibrium has been reached. Here we examine role transition rates, differential diversification (speciation minus extinction) non-equilibrium dynamics evolutionary history angiosperms, well...

Despite the importance of plant-herbivore interactions to ecology and evolution terrestrial ecosystems, evolutionary factors contributing variation in plant defenses against herbivores remain unresolved. We used a comparative phylogenetic approach examine previously untested hypothesis (Recombination-Mating System Hypothesis) that posits reduced sexual reproduction limits adaptive arthropod herbivores. To test this we focused on evening primrose family (Onagraceae), which includes both...

Natural selection should reduce phenotypic variation and increase integration of floral traits involved in placement pollen grains on stigmas. In this study, we examine the role pollinators breeding system evolution by comparing patterns variances covariances 20 Ipomoea species that differ their level pollination specialization pollinator dependence incorporating phylogenetic relatedness. Plants with specialized (i.e., those pollinated one functional group or few morphospecies) displayed...

Dissecting the genetic basis for evolution of species differences requires a combination phylogenetic and molecular perspectives. By mapping changes their phenotypic effects onto phylogeny, it is possible to distinguish that may have been directly responsible new character state from those fine tune transition. Here, we use functional methods trace substrate specificity in dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (Dfr), an anthocyanin pathway gene known be involved transition blue red flowers Iochroma....

The systematics and speciation literature is rich with discussion relating to the potential for gene tree/species tree discordance. Numerous mechanisms have been proposed generate discordance, including differential selection, long-branch attraction, duplication, genetic introgression, and/or incomplete lineage sorting. For speciose clades in which divergence has occurred recently rapidly, recovering true species can be particularly problematic due Unfortunately, availability of multilocus...

Summary Losses of floral pigmentation represent one the most common evolutionary transitions in flower color, yet genetic basis for these changes has been elucidated only a handful cases. Here we used crossing studies, bulk‐segregant RNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses and functional tests to identify gene(s) responsible transition white flowers Iochroma loxense . Crosses between I. its blue‐flowered sister species, cyaneum , suggested that single locus controls color difference allele...

Abstract Dissecting the relationship between gene function and substitution rates is key to understanding genome-wide patterns of molecular evolution. Biochemical pathways provide powerful systems for investigating this because functional role each often well characterized. Here, we investigate evolution flavonoid pigment pathway in colorful Petunieae clade tomato family (Solanaceae). This broadly conserved plants, both terms its structural elements MYB, basic helix–loop–helix, WD40...

Recent molecular phylogenetic studies of Solanaceae have identified many well-supported clades within the family and permitted creation a system classification. Here we estimate phylogeny for Iochrominae, clade Physaleae sensu Olmstead et al. (1999), which contains 34 Andean species encompassing an immense diversity floral forms colors. Using three nuclear regions, ITS, second intron LEAFY, exons 2 to 9 granule-bound starch synthase gene (waxy), evaluated monophyly traditional genera...

The loss of sexual recombination and segregation in asexual organisms has been portrayed as an irreversible process that commits asexually reproducing lineages to reduced diversification. We test this hypothesis by estimating rates speciation, extinction, transition between sexuality functional asexuality the evening primroses. Specifically, we estimate these using recently developed BiSSE (Binary State Speciation Extinction) phylogenetic comparative method, which employs maximum likelihood...

Flower form is one of many floral features thought to be shaped by pollinator-mediated selection. Although the drivers variation in flower shape have often been examined microevolutionary studies, relatively few tested relationship between evolution and shifts pollination system across clades. In present study, we use morphometric approaches quantify Andean clade Iochrominae estimate changes using phylogenetic comparative methods. We infer multiple from an ancestral state narrow, tubular...

Summary Phenotypic convergence is rampant throughout the tree of life. While recent studies have made significant progress in ascertaining proximate mechanisms underlying convergent phenotypes, less known about frequency and predictability with which phenotypes arise via same or multiple pathways at macroevolutionary scale. We investigated causes evolutionary patterns red flower color tomato family, Solanaceae, using large‐scale data mining new sequence to reconstruct a megaphylogeny 1341...

• Despite an abundance of theory, few empirical studies have explored the ecological and evolutionary consequences sex. We used a comparative phylogenetic approach to examine whether transitions between sexual asexual reproduction are associated with changes in size distribution species' geographical ranges, their investment reproduction. Here, we reconstructed phylogeny genus Oenothera sections Calylophus (Onagraceae), which contain 35 30 functionally species. From each species, collected...

The evolution of novel fruit morphologies has been integral to the success angiosperms. inflated fruiting calyx, in which balloon-like calyx swells completely surround fruit, evolved repeatedly across angiosperms and is postulated aid protection dispersal. We investigated this trait tomatillos their allies (Physalideae, Solanaceae).The Physalideae phylogeny was estimated using four regions (ITS, LEAFY, trnL-F, waxy) with maximum likelihood (ML) Bayesian inference. Under best-fitting ML model...

Key message Self-incompatibility decays with age in plants of Physalis acutifolia , and that have transitioned to selfing produce fewer seeds but comparable viability. Self-compatibility this system is closely related flower size, which turn dependent on the direction cross, suggesting parental effects both morphology compatibility. Abstract The sharpleaf groundcherry, polymorphic for self-compatibility, naturally occurring self-incompatible (SI) self-compatible (SC) populations. Moreover,...