Plant Diversity and Evolution

Early Cretaceous Origin and Evolutionary History of Palms (Arecaceae) inferred from 1,033 Nuclear Genes and a New Synthesis of Fossil Evidence

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of palms using 1,033 nuclear genes and fossil evidence, finding the family originated in the Early Cretaceous and diversified rapidly.

The importance of postzygotic barriers at the early stages of speciation in trees

The paper examines postzygotic barriers in early speciation stages of tree species, finding strong postzygotic isolation in F1 hybrids of Metrosideros polymorpha varieties.

Beyond the Highlands: Climate Drives Evolutionary Connections Between Ancient Neotropical Mountains and Lowland Biomes

This study examines evolutionary connections between ancient Neotropical highlands and lowland biomes, finding that climate drives lineage exchange and challenges the sky-island hypothesis.

Seed fossil record of Solanaceae revisited

Morphometric and micro-CT analysis of 110 fossil and 354 extant Solanaceae seeds identifies 10 specimen-backed fossil species, including four new genera and a fossilized elaiosome, spanning Eocene to Holocene deposits.

How much can reticulate evolution entangle plant systematics? Revisiting subfamilial classification of the Malvatheca clade (Malvaceae) on the basis of phylogenomics

The paper uses phylogenomic analysis to study reticulate evolution in the Malvatheca clade, finding evidence of ancient hybridization and polyploidy affecting subfamilial classification.

Late Cretaceous origins for major nightshade lineages from total evidence timetree analysis

This study estimates the origin of nightshade lineages using a total evidence timetree analysis, finding the family originated around 98 Mya, with major splits three times older than previous estimates.

A shift in developmental allometry underlies the transition to a multi-ovulate strategy from a single-ovulate ancestral state in Phlox (Polemoniaceae)

The paper investigates the developmental basis of seed number variation in Phlox by analyzing allometric relationships between ovary size, ovule size, and ovule number across species.

A large phylogenetic tree for euphyllophytes

The paper constructs the largest dated phylogenetic tree for euphyllophytes by integrating backbone phylogenies and species-level trees, revealing increased topological and age estimation uncertainty in recent times.

'Dispersification' of Agalinis (Orobanchaceae) into South America is associated with hummingbird pollination and perennial life history shifts

This study reconstructs the diversification history of Agalinis, showing it originated in North America, dispersed to South America, and diversified rapidly in the Brazilian highlands, linked to hummingbird pollination and perennial life history shifts.

The complex evolutionary history of Capparis L. (Capparaceae Juss.) in Australia, and the description of five new species and two new subspecies

This paper analyzes the phylogenetic relationships of Australian Capparis species, identifies a whole-genome duplication event, and describes five new species and two new subspecies.

Bypassing the Batch Effects to Improve the Reusability of RAD-seq Data: A Case Study of Recurrent Hybridization in the Japanese Torreya Species Complex

The paper improves RAD-seq data reusability by addressing allele dropout using lc-WGS, revealing hybridization events in Japanese Torreya species.

Phylogenomic analyses of the diverse desert-alpine plant lineage Cistantheae

This study presents a phylogenomic analysis of the Cistantheae plant lineage, revealing patterns of life history evolution and gene flow across desert and alpine habitats.

Expanding Ventilago to incorporate Smythea: new combinations in Ventilagineae (Rhamnaceae) based on novel sequence data and phylogenetic analysis

This paper proposes merging Smythea into Ventilago based on phylogenetic analysis showing Ventilago is paraphyletic.

Phylogenomic and comparative genome analysis of the Juglandaceae family reveals black walnut (Juglans nigra) as an ancient lineage of the Rhysocaryon section.

The paper uses genomic data to analyze the Juglans genus, finding black walnut as an ancient lineage with implications for conservation and climate adaptation.

In-situ diversification and regional attributes shape asymmetric diversity of Miliusa (Annonaceae) in tropical Asia.

This study investigates the biogeography and speciation patterns of Miliusa in tropical Asia, finding that in-situ speciation and regional climatic factors shape its asymmetric diversity.

Synchronous Miocene radiations and geographic-dependent diversification of pantropical Xylopia (Annonaceae)

This study investigates the diversification patterns of Xylopia across tropical regions, finding synchronous Miocene radiations with region-specific environmental drivers.

Longevity in plants impacts phylogenetic and population dynamics

This study uses simulations to show that plant longevity and overlapping generations explain phylogenetic patterns, with somatic mutations potentially exacerbating these effects.

A guide to plant morphometrics using Gaussian Mixture Models

This paper provides a step-by-step guide for linear morphometric analysis in plant systematics and introduces a Gaussian Mixture Models framework for comparing taxonomic hypotheses.

Trait-dependent biogeography offers insights on the dispersal of Meiogyne (Annonaceae) across the Australasia-Pacific region

This study uses molecular phylogenies and biogeographical models to show that bird-dispersed fruits with narrow shapes and specific colors in Meiogyne are linked to increased macroevolutionary dispersal.

Comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome of Paeonia suffruticosa 'Cun Song Ying reveals plastid characteristics and phylogenetic relationships

The paper presents the first complete chloroplast genome of Paeonia suffruticosa 'Cun Song Ying', compares it with related species, and identifies potential DNA barcode regions.

The plastid genome of the non-photosynthetic plant Rhopalocnemis phalloides is one of the most polymorphic genomes known

This study examines the plastid genome of Rhopalocnemis phalloides, finding exceptionally high intraspecific polymorphism and identifying misclassified plastid genomes in NCBI databases.

Six New Species and Two Reinstatements of Viola (Violaceae) from China

The paper describes six new Viola species and reinstates two from China using morphological and genetic analyses.

Rediscovery of the Enigmatic Paroxygraphis in Xizang, China: Phylogenetic Evidence for its Reclassification Within Oxygraphis (Ranunculaceae)

The paper rediscoveres Paroxygraphis in China, reclassifies it within Oxygraphis using phylogenetic analysis, and highlights its critically endangered status.

Trait-dependent diversification and spatio-ecological limits drive angiosperm diversity unevenness across the Canary Islands archipelago

The paper investigates factors driving uneven angiosperm diversity in the Canary Islands, finding trait-dependent diversification and spatio-ecological limits are key, not lineage age.

Global convergence in wood evolution is driven by drought on continents and frost-free temperatures on islands

The paper shows that woodiness in angiosperms is more common on continents than islands, driven by drought and frost-free temperatures, with additional factors like precipitation seasonality and elevation.

A comparison of two universal angiosperm bait sets and the phylogenomics of Alismatales

The paper compares two universal angiosperm bait sets, finding OzBaits v2 recovers more genes and provides higher phylogenetic utility than Angiosperms353 for the Alismatales order.

Morphological innovation and lineage-specific history drive disparification in the aggregated pollen of mimosoid plants

The paper examines pollen disparity in two mimosoid legume lineages, finding distinct patterns shaped by phylogeny and developmental constraints rather than environmental pressures.

Functional traits drive speciation in tropical palms through complex interactions between genome size, adaptation and allometry

The paper tests how genome size, adaptation, and allometry interact to drive speciation in tropical palms using phylogenetic and trait data.

Exploring the fog vegetation in the marginal Atacama Desert: common evolutionary history of species-rich genera and morphological convergence in Nolana and Heliotropium sect. Cochranea

The paper investigates the evolutionary history and morphological convergence of Nolana and Heliotropium sect. Cochranea in the Atacama Desert, identifying niche segregation and adaptive radiation patterns.

Atypical plastid genome evolution: Cereus Mill. from distinct environments harbor one of the largest plastid genomes in Cactaceae

This study analyzes the plastid genomes of two Cereus species from different environments, revealing genomic structure, evolutionary patterns, and adaptation signatures.