Plant Taxonomy and Phylogenetics

Deep learning of fossil pollen morphology reveals 25,000 years of ecological change in East African grasslands

This paper uses deep learning to analyze fossil grass pollen morphology and reconstruct 25,000 years of ecological change in East African grasslands, showing reduced diversity and shifts in C3:C4 ratios during the last ice age.

Chloroplast Genome Evolution, Heteroplasmy, and Inverted Repeat Dynamics in the Elymus Complex (Triticeae, Poaceae): Insights from Single-Molecule Sequencing of Elymus ciliaris and Comparative Analysis of St-Genome Lineages

The paper uses single-molecule sequencing to analyze chloroplast genome heteroplasmy and structural dynamics in Elymus species, revealing inversion polymorphisms and lineage-specific IR boundary shifts.

A missing PEPC1 exaptation restricts C₄ evolution in palms (Arecaceae)

The paper investigates the absence of PEPC1 in palms and finds it restricts C4 evolution due to an ancestral molecular barrier.

PEPC Gene Family Evolution Across Arecaceae: Complete Five-Subfamily Evidence for a Two-Lock Model of Irreversible C4 Exclusion

This study shows that palm species lack the PEPC1 gene and regulatory elements needed for C4 photosynthesis, explaining why C4 has never evolved in palms.

Genic and phylogenomic discordances reveal conflicting hybridization episodes in temperate Loliinae grasses

This study reveals hybridization episodes in Loliinae grasses using phylogenomic data, showing lineage-specific hybridization rates and discordances between nuclear and plastome trees.

Urochloa trichopus (Hoch.) Stapf (Poaceae: Paniceae): An addition to the Flora of Karnataka

The paper reports the first occurrence of Urochloa trichopus in Karnataka, India, and provides a taxonomic description and ecological review.

On the taxonomy and nomenclature of the annual species of the Brachypodium distachyon grass complex (Gramineae, Pooideae)

This paper investigates the taxonomy and nomenclature of three annual Brachypodium species using morphological analysis and nomenclatural review, leading to synonymy and conservation proposals.

Gene turnover and contingency facilitated the repeated evolution of C4 photosynthesis in grasses

The paper identifies genetic precursors for C4 photosynthesis in grasses and shows that gene turnover facilitated its repeated evolution in the PACMAD lineage.

Stepwise increase in plasmodesmata during C4 evolution in Flaveria

The paper examines plasmodesmata changes in Flaveria species during C4 evolution, finding two stepwise increases in plasmodesmata frequency, particularly at the M-BS interface in C4 species.

Phylogenetics, evolution and biogeography of four Digitaria food crop lineages across West Africa, India, and Europe

The paper investigates the phylogeny, evolution, and biogeography of four Digitaria food crops across West Africa, India, and Europe, identifying key crop wild relatives and divergence timelines.

Drought tolerance as an evolutionary precursor to frost and winter tolerance in grasses

The paper investigates whether drought tolerance preceded frost and winter tolerance in grasses, finding mixed evolutionary trajectories and supporting ancestral drought tolerance as a facilitator for cold biome transitions in some clades.

Nuclear phylogenomics of grasses (Poaceae) supports current classification and reveals repeated reticulation

This study constructs a nuclear phylogeny of grasses using genome-scale data, showing agreement with plastome phylogeny and evidence for repeated reticulation events.

The phylogeny of Triticeae Dumort. (Poaceae): resolution and phylogenetic conflict based on a genome-wide selection of nuclear loci

The paper analyzes phylogenetic conflict within the Triticeae tribe using nuclear and chloroplast data, revealing extensive conflict across different data subsets.

The process that the evolution from C3 towards C4 photosynthesis is driven

This study investigates the evolutionary transition from C3 to C4 photosynthesis in Flaveria, finding that decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature drive the process, with drought playing a dominant role.

Genetic diversity and taxonomic issues in Gastridium P.Beauv (Poaceae) inferred from plastid and nuclear DNA sequence analysis

The paper analyzes DNA sequences from four Gastridium species to assess genetic diversity and taxonomic relationships, finding limited variability but evidence of distinct genetic entities.