Resolving phylogenetic reconstruction in Menispermaceae (Ranunculales) using fossils and a novel statistical test

Abstract

Menispermaceae (Moonseed family) are an important family within the basal eudicots. This study is a first attempt to infer phylogenetic relationships within Menispermaceae, focusing on morphological data and using cladistic methodology. Sampling included genera from all the eight tribes usually recognized within the family, and was representative of the morphological diversity and worldwide distribution of the group. Preliminary trees were poorly resolved and were optimized using Reduced Cladistic Consensus (RCC) and NoiseSnapper. The latter program was used for the first time in phylogeny. In addition, fossils of the Eocene of the Paris Basin were included in the analysis. All three approaches were useful as they allowed for improvement of resolution. None of the tribes were found to be monophyletic except Menispermeae. We also show that fruit characters are unreliable and should not be used for classification.

Integrating fossils in a molecular-based phylogeny and testing them as calibration points for divergence time estimates in Menispermaceae

“…Thus we only coded the endocarp characters. To code these characters in extant plants, personal observations, published morphological descriptions, and earlier morphology‐based phylogenetic studies were used (Diels, 1910; Forman, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1968, 1972a, b, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1997, 2007; Troupin, 1962; Thanikaimoni, 1984; Jacques et al, 2007; Jacques & Bertolino, 2008; Jacques, 2009b). When no data were available for a species, the generic characters were used, leaving the other characters coded as unknown.…”

“…The molecular phylogenies (Ortiz et al, 2007; Wang et al, 2007; Hoot et al, 2009), even when there are inconsistencies among them, are congruent about the general patterns of Menispermaceae evolution. However, the latter molecular analyses and the morphological ones (Jacques et al, 2007; Jacques & Bertolino, 2008) exhibit incongruent evolutionary patterns.…”

“…Members of the Menispermaceae are typically recognized by a frequent climbing habit, dioecious mating system, spiral phyllotaxy, unique petiole swelling, exstipulate leaves, and drupaceous fruits (Miers, 1851; Diels, 1910; Kessler, 1993). Other important features include the formation of successive cambia, a character probably linked to the climbing habit (Obaton, 1960; Mennega, 1982; Carlquist, 1988, 1996; Jacques & De Franceschi, 2007), unisexual flowers with floral parts in whorls of three and rudiments of non‐functional organs of the opposite sex, especially staminodes in the female flowers (Wang et al, 2006), a condyle resulting from the development of the placental region (Miers, 1871; Diels, 1910; Dekker, 1983), a curved endocarp (Diels, 1910; Jacques et al, 2007; Ortiz et al, 2007), tricolporate pollen, and exine with a granular inner face (Thanikaimoni, 1984).…”

“…Several morphological (Jacques et al, 2007; Jacques & Bertolino, 2008) and molecular (Ortiz et al, 2007; Wang et al, 2007; Hoot et al, 2009) phylogenies have attempted to further clarify the infrafamilial relationships. The molecular phylogeny of Jacques & Bertolino (2008) is excluded from the discussion as it has been found that their results have been compromised by mislabeled samples.…”

“…The Menispermaceae are well represented in the fossil record (e.g., Takhtajan, 1974; Manchester et al, 2005; Jacques et al, 2007; Jacques, 2009a). The oldest known fossils of the family dates back to the Cretaceous (Takhtajan, 1974; Knobloch & Mai, 1986), namely they are several Menispermites leaves with often questionable identification (Jacques, 2009a) and a fossil endocarp from the Turonian of Central Europe (Knobloch & Mai, 1986).…”