Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Fern Genus Elaphoglossum (Elaphoglossaceae)

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx NY

Investigators

Abstract

0211969 Moran, Mickel, and Motley The fern genus Elaphoglossum contains about 650 species and is one of the world's largest fern genera. Most species occur in the American tropics, particularly in Central America and the Andean countries. This three-year grant will enable scientists at The New York Botanical Garden to continue their collaborative taxonomic study of the genus. Using evidence from DNA sequences and morphology, they will produce an evolutionary tree to the species and use this tree as a framework for addressing questions about evolution and biogeography. Examples of some evolutionary questions they will pose are: What are the main evolutionary groups within Elaphoglossum? How does the evolutionary tree obtained from DNA studies compare to a previous classification system based on morphology? Did certain critical morphological characters evolve once within the genus, or did they arise several times? Examples of biogeographic questions are: How many different introductions of Elaphoglossum species have occurred onto the Hawaiian Islands, and what were their geographic source areas? What are the evolutionary relationships between the species in the American tropics and Africa-Madagascar? To answer these questions, it is necessary to collect samples of the species in various parts of the world. Field trips will be taken to species-rich countries in Latin America, such as Ecuador and Bolivia, and several colleagues will be collecting plants in the tropics of Africa, Madagascar, and Asia. The samples will be used to study morphological characteristics and to extract and sequence DNA, all aimed at providing data to construct an evolutionary tree. This research will address major evolutionary and biogeographic questions about one of the world's largest groups of ferns. The results should provide a useful basis for comparison to other groups of plants. One spin-off of this project is that many new species will be discovered and provided with scientific names. The study will have educational benefits to the post-doctoral scientist and graduate students involved in the project, including training in both laboratory methods for studying DNA and fieldwork in the American tropics. Dr. Moran teaches the Tropical Plant Systematics course (both English and Spanish versions) in Costa Rica for the Organization for Tropical Studies, and will involve students in this course in field projects relating to the proposed research. Several members of the New York Chapter of the American Fern Society will grow spores to study the characteristics of the gametophytes (the sexual phase of the life cycle) and will thus be involved in the project. The public and scientists will be informed about activities and results on the project's web site, the "Elaphoglossum homepage" maintained at the New York Botanical Garden.