Phylogeny of the Microbotryaceae Family
Author Information
Author(s): Martin Kemler, Markus Göker, Franz Oberwinkler, Dominik Begerow
Primary Institution: Universität Tübingen
Hypothesis
This study aims to resolve the phylogeny of the anther smuts and their relationship to other members of the family of plant parasites based on ITS nrDNA sequences.
Conclusion
The study confirmed that the anther smuts on Caryophyllaceae are monophyletic and revealed a native North American group that diverged from the European clade.
Supporting Evidence
- The study used a larger dataset than previous work to confirm the monophyly of Caryophyllaceae anther smuts.
- Alignment-independent moderate bootstrap support was achieved for a clade containing the majority of Microbotryum species.
- Two different well-supported lineages of anther parasites were identified.
Takeaway
Scientists studied a group of fungi that infect plants to understand how they are related to each other. They found that some of these fungi are closely related and that some come from North America.
Methodology
Molecular phylogenetic analyses were performed based on nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences.
Limitations
The genera of Microbotryaceae were not clearly resolved, and some clades were vulnerable to alignment conditions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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