EAPSI: Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Series Chinensis (Iridaceae)

Rodriguez Jennifer, Perris CA

Investigators

Abstract

Phylogenetic methods are essential tools that allow for an understanding of evolutionary relationships and can provide a possible explanation for origins and changes in geographic ranges. This award support research to investigate geographic origins and evolutionary relationships of Asian Iris. The project will focus on series Chinensis, small irises that are distributed mainly in northeast China, but also found in Korea and Japan. The number of species in the series is unknown because authors have not agreed on the inclusion of some species. Our understanding of the distribution of these and other Chinese species is limited because recent systematic work in Asia has focused on the Flora of China project, which surveyed existing databases from major Chinese herbaria to produce an overall account of taxa present. This research will investigate the biogeography of series Chinensis through fieldwork, and analyses of new and existing distributional data. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Professor Xiao-Quan Wang at the Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Botany in Beijing, China. Using phylogenetic approach, the project will investigate: 1) which Asian species should be included in series Chinensis; 2) phylogenetic relationships among series Chinensis species; and 3) the origin, dispersal and diversification of the series in China. Molecular markers will be applied to test phylogenetic relationships and these results will be used to test hypotheses about geographic distribution. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA makers will be sequenced for phylogeny reconstruction using maximum likelihood and Bayesian statistical methods. The resulting phylogeny will be used as a framework for testing hypothesis on patterns of geographic diversification. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is