Plant Diversity and Evolution

Building a robust backbone for Astragalus (Fabaceae) using a clade-specific target enrichment bait set

This study constructs a robust backbone phylogeny for Astragalus using a custom target enrichment bait set, revealing insights into cytonuclear conflicts and potential reticulate evolution.

The unique morphological basis and parallel evolutionary history of personate flowers in Penstemon

This study investigates the morphological basis and evolutionary history of personate flowers in Penstemon, finding distinct morphological mechanisms and multiple independent evolutionary origins.

Exceptional diversification of floral form in a specialized orchid pollination system

The paper analyzes floral evolution in orchids to show that specialized pollination by scent-collecting bees leads to faster floral shape evolution than other pollination strategies.

Ecological niche differentiation mediates near complete premating reproductive isolation within the Gladiolus carneus (Iridaceae) species complex.

The paper tests if ecological niche differentiation leads to premating reproductive isolation in Gladiolus carneus varieties, finding strong ecogeographic and phenological isolation contributes to near complete reproductive isolation.

Rampant convergent evolution of vascular oddities and a synnovation characterize the rapid radiation of Paullinieae lianas

This study investigates the evolution of vascular variants in Paullinieae lianas, finding that while these traits are diverse and recurrent, they do not drive diversification, which instead correlates with climbing habits, tendrils, and zygomorphic flowers.

Impacts of taxonomic change on the Amazonian palm flora

This study tracks taxonomic changes in Amazonian palms, revealing how synonymy detection affects species counts and highlights the uneven impact of undetected synonyms on biodiversity understanding.

Evolutionary implications of stipule occurrence in Permo-Carboniferous wetland forests dominated by Psaroniaceae

The paper identifies the earliest known stipule structure in the plant kingdom from the early Permian Wuda Tuff Flora, providing insights into the evolutionary origins of stipules in Psaroniaceae.

Going green: Recycling transcriptomes to infer evolutionary relationships, gene duplication, gene tree conflict, and patterns of molecular evolution in the Apocynaceae

This study uses transcriptomic data to infer evolutionary relationships and molecular evolution patterns in Apocynaceae, identifying gene duplications and rate shifts associated with adaptations.

Organellar data sets confirm overall angiosperm relationships if problematic RNA-edit sites are accounted for in mitochondrial genomes

The paper compares mitochondrial and plastid-based phylogenomic analyses in angiosperms, showing that removing RNA-edit sites from mitochondrial data improves congruence and supports key relationships.

Hybridization during the adaptive radiation of Oxera (Lamiaceae) in New Caledonia: Is flower shape shift driven by introgression?

The paper investigates hybridization in Oxera, finding ancestral introgression from O. coriacea to O. sympatrica and its role in convergent flower shape evolution.

Whole chloroplast genomes reveal a complex genetic legacy of lost lineages, past radiations and secondary contacts in the dominant temperate deciduous tree genus Fagus

The paper uses whole chloroplast genomes to trace the genetic history of Fagus, revealing ancient lineages, past radiations, and genetic admixture events.

Pollen morphology, deep learning, phylogenetics, and the evolution of environmental adaptations in Podocarpus

This study uses deep learning to analyze pollen morphology and links it to environmental factors and phylogenetic history in Podocarpus species.

Nuclear phylogenomics reveals strong geographic patterns in the evolutionary history of Aloe and related genera (alooids)

This study uses nuclear phylogenomics to resolve the taxonomy of Aloe and related genera, revealing strong geographic patterns in their evolutionary history.

Phylogenomics of Aristolochia subg. Siphisia (Aristolochiaceae) reveals widespread incomplete lineage sorting and supports a novel pollinator-filtering hypothesis

This study uses phylogenomic data to resolve Siphisia systematics, revealing incomplete lineage sorting and a novel pollinator-filtering pollination syndrome.

Dispersal syndrome evolution in angiosperms: ancestral zoochory, correlations with pollination mode and biome, and sampling effects

This study investigates the evolution of seed dispersal syndromes in angiosperms, finding ancestral zoochory and correlations with biome and pollination mode transitions.

Classification of Urticaceae based on morphology and phylogenetic inference

This study updates the classification of Urticaceae by integrating molecular and morphological data, identifying new tribes and genera, and proposing taxonomic revisions.

300 billion years of angiosperm evolution at risk of extinction

The paper assesses angiosperm evolutionary history at risk of extinction and identifies conservation priorities using phylogenetic trees and extinction risk estimates.

Phylogenomic inference suggests differential deep time phylogenetic signals from nuclear and organellar genomes in gymnosperms

The paper infers phylogenies from nuclear and organellar genomes in gymnosperms, finding differential deep time signals and incongruence between nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid trees.

Sequencing, de novo assembly of Ludwigia plastomes, and comparative analysis within the Onagraceae family

The paper generates and compares plastid genomes of two Ludwigia species, identifies haplotypes, and detects positively selected genes, aiding phylogenetic studies in Onagraceae.

A new synonym for Viburnum erosum (Viburnaceae) in East China, based on morphological and molecular evidence

The paper concludes that Viburnum fengyangshanense is a new synonym of Viburnum erosum based on morphological and molecular data.

A new spin on chemotaxonomy using non-proteogenic amino acids as a test case

The paper investigates the phylogenetic distribution of non-proteogenic amino acids in plants to understand their evolutionary history and taxonomic significance.

Phylogenomics clarifies Balanophora evolution, plastid reduction, and obligate asexuality origins

This study uses phylogenomic analysis to clarify the evolution of Balanophora, showing independent origins of obligate apomixis and extreme plastid genome reduction linked to parasitism.

Phylogenomics and macroevolution of a florally diverse Neotropical plant clade (Hillieae)

This study investigates the phylogenomics and macroevolution of Hillieae, a Neotropical plant clade, revealing origins, pollination syndrome shifts, and biogeographic patterns.

Well-resolved phylogeny supports repeated evolution of keel flowers as a synergistic contributor to papilionoid legume diversification

The paper uses phylogenetic analysis to show keel flowers evolved multiple times in legumes but did not drive diversification alone, suggesting synergistic factors like nitrogen fixation and dispersal were more important.

Whilst the gymnosperm tree of life may survive the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the angiosperm tree of life may not

The paper assesses the impact of the biodiversity crisis on angiosperm and gymnosperm evolutionary history using risk predictions, finding angiosperms are more vulnerable to disproportionate loss.

Phylogenomics of the North American Desert Radiation Linanthus (Polemoniaceae) Reveals Mixed Trait Lability and No Single Geographic Mode of Speciation

This study uses genomic data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Linanthus species, revealing complex speciation patterns and trait evolution in arid environments.

MOLECULAR AND MORPHOMETRIC APPROACHES IN RECENTLY RADIATED SPECIES: Inga subnuda SALZM. EX BENTH AND Inga vera WILLD. (LEGUMINOSAE, MIMOSOID CLADE)

This study uses molecular and morphometric data to clarify the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships among closely related Inga species and subspecies in the Neotropics.

POSSIBLE MULTIPLE ORIGINS OF SOME IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KEEL (PAPILIONATE) FLOWERS WITHIN FABALES

This study examines the evolutionary origins of keel flower characteristics in Fabales using ancestral state analysis on a large phylogeny.

Digging into the general dynamic model: Island ontogeny predicts shifting micro-evolutionary processes in a Mascarene flowering plant radiation

This study uses population-level sampling and 2bRAD sequencing to test the general dynamic model (GDM) in a Mascarene flowering plant radiation, finding that evolutionary processes shift with island age.

A new phylogenetic framework for the genus Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) and implications for infrageneric classification

This study constructs a phylogenetic tree for Kalanchoe using ddRAD sequencing, revealing partial support for current subgeneric classifications and suggesting a Malagasy origin with dispersal events to Africa and Asia.