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Abstract Detail


Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)

Yang, Xiaohan [1], Tuskan, Gerald A [1], Tschaplinski, Timothy J [1], Cheng, (Max) Zong-Ming [2].

The phylogeny based on third codon transversion resolves the conflict between evolution and development on the origin of flowering plants.

Flowering plants (angiosperms) appeared on Earth rather suddenly approximately 130 million years ago and underwent a massive expansion in the subsequent 10-12 million years. The phylogeny of these events, known as Darwin’s “abominable mystery”, remains unresolved today. Current molecular phylogenies have predominantly identified Amborella, followed by Nymphaea (water lilies) or Amborella plus Nymphaea, as the earliest angiosperm. However, developmental studies suggest that the earliest angiosperm had a 4-cell/4-nucleus female gametophyte and a diploid endosperm represented by Nymphaea, suggesting that Amborella, having an 8-cell/9-nucleus female gametophyte and a triploid endosperm, cannot be the most basal angiosperm. This evolution-development discordance is most likely caused by improper inference based on phylogenetic signals with low neutrality and/or high saturation. Here we show that the 3rd codon transversion (P3Tv), with high neutrality and low saturation, is a new robust high-resolution phylogenetic signal for both deep and shallow divergences, and that the P3Tv-based land plant phylogeny unambiguously identified Nymphaea, followed by Amborella, as the most basal angiosperm. The P3Tv-based phylogeny resolves the current conflict on the origin of angiosperms with stronger concordance to fossil and stomata development evidence than previous phylogenies. This new angiosperm phylogeny will help to resolve Darwin’s “abominable mystery” and guide research in plant comparative genomics, plant pharmacology and crop breeding. The P3Tv phylogenetic signal may have broad application in phylogenetic analysis of animals and microorganisms.


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1 - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
2 - University of Tennessee, Department of Plant Sciences, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

Keywords:
Amborella
Nymphaea
angiosperm
phylogenetic signal
chloroplast genome.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P70003
Abstract ID:1402


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