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Citation for Study 1554

About Citation title: "Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Areceae)".
About This study was previously identified under the legacy study ID S1499 (Status: Published).

Citation

Norup M., Dransfield J., Chase M., Barfod A.S., Fernando E., & Baker W.J. 2006. Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Areceae). American Journal of Botany, null.

Authors

  • Norup M.
  • Dransfield J.
  • Chase M.
  • Barfod A.S.
  • Fernando E.
  • Baker W.J. Phone +44 20 8332 5224

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific palm tribe Areceae (Arecaceae; Arecoideae) exhibits complex distributions of morphological character states that are potentially challenging for the delimitation of its genera. In the first exhaustive sampling of all 65 genera of the Areceae, we examined relationships of two problematic genera, Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste, using portions of the low-copy nuclear genes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and RNA-polymerase II subunit B (RPB2). Both Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste fell within a highly supported IPP clade, but are clearly unrelated. Rhopaloblaste was strongly supported as monophyletic and is most closely related to Indian Ocean genera. Heterospathe was resolved with strong support within a clade of western Pacific genera, but with the monotypic Alsmithia nested within it. Ptychosperma micranthum, which has previously been included in both Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste, is excluded from all three genera in which it has previously been placed, but its relations to other genera are unresolved. Morphological comparisons indicate that the crownshaft is putatively synapomorphic for the IPP clade with numerous reversals within the clade and some independent origins elsewhere. The putative diagnostic characters of Heterospathe show high levels of homoplasy, and the genus can only be distinguished by a suite of characters, whereas Rhopaloblaste is more clearly defined. Our results have implications not only for the two genera in focus, but also for the classification of Areceae in general.

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S1554
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