A phylogeny of the Gochnatieae: Understanding a critically placed tribe in the Compositae

Abstract

Subfamily Gochnatioideae is the sister group of ∼96% of the species in Compositae (Asteraceae). It is of particular interest not only because of its position in the phylogeny, but also because, in recent molecular studies, the node it occupies is not strongly supported making difficult any inferences on the direction of character evolution in the family. The recognition of tribe Gochnatieae was one of the results of a comprehensive molecular analysis of the family that showed the traditional circumscription of the Mutisieae to be non–monophyletic. The four genera of Gochnatieae (Cnicothamnus, Cyclolepis, Gochnatia, Richterago) were defined by the presence of apiculate anther appendages and dorsally smooth style branches. Gochnatia, which contained about 70 species, was the largest and most complex genus and in the last decade some of its sections have been moved (or returned) to the rank of genus. This study includes a large selection of potential outgroups and over 60% of all species in the tribe, including all the genera and all but one of the sections of Gochnatia, to examine evolutionary relationships among the taxa. Both cpDNA and nrDNA were used in a phylogenetic analysis using parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian approaches. The results suggest a non–monophyletic Gochnatia that is here resolved by the recognition of segregate genera. Morphological characters support these new genera and allow the adoption of a new classification for the Gochnatieae. A biogeographic analysis shows a possible southern South American/Andean origin followed by movement in three directions: into the Central Andes, into central and northern Brazil, and into Mexico and the Caribbean. The dating analysis gives an age of the split of the core Gochnatieae from the Wunderlichieae–Cyclolepis clade, and hence the age of the tribe, of 36–45 Ma and an age of 23–25 Ma for the first split within the core Gochnatieae (Andean vs. Brazil–Mexico–Caribbean). Cnicothamnus remains in Gochnatieae but Cyclolepis is designated incertae sedis.

Nahuatlea: a new genus of compositae (Gochnatieae) from North America

“…Freire, L. Katinas & G. Sancho. The molecular based study of Funk et al (2014) did not support the arrangement of taxa as proposed by Freire et al (2002) except for section Anastraphioides (the Caribbean species) which formed a strongly supported clade.…”

“…Blake, although accepted by Jervis (1954), was not accepted as a species by Cabrera (1971), instead it was placed as subspecies under the widespread G. hypoleuca . According to data from molecular studies (Funk et al 2014), Gochnatia section Hedraiophyllum (Cabrera 1971) is not supported but it is interesting to note that Cabrera considered the section Hedraiophyllum to be somewhat artificial.…”

Asteraceae no Município de Mucugê, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brasil

“…80 espécies com distribuição restrita ao continente Americano, desde o México (e áreas subjacente dos EUA), Caribe e América do Sul (Funk et al 2014) Moquiniastrum caracteriza-se pela presença de plantas ginodióicas, com indumento consistindo de tricomas 2-5-ramificados (vs. flageliformes, unisseriados), capitulescência geralmente paniculiforme (vs. corimbiforme ou capítulos solitários), corola actinomórfica profundamente lobada e pápus 2-3-seriado (Sancho et al 2013) A espécie caracteriza-se pelo hábito arbóreo, folhas adultas pubescentes apenas na face abaxial, lâmina foliar ovada ou elíptica, base arredondada, com abundantes tricomas glandulares na face adaxial e capitulescências corimbiformes, axilares, menores que as folhas terminais (Sancho 2000). A espécie não é endêmcia do Brasil e em Mucugê tem sido coletada em área de cerrado e campos gerais.…”

Phylogeography of Haplocarpha rueppelii (Asteraceae) suggests a potential geographic barrier for plant dispersal and gene flow in East Africa

“…(2) Fossil calibration. ITS and psbA-trnH of Compositae were downloaded from GenBank according to Funk et al [29]. Sequences for H. nervosa and H. parvifolia were also downloaded (Fig.…”