ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8255-6349
Current Organisation
Australian National University
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Evolutionary Biology | Plant Systematics, Taxonomy And Phylogeny | Biogeography | Ecology | Ecology And Evolution Not Elsewhere Classified | Natural Resource Management | Terrestrial Ecology | Biogeography and Phylogeography | Genetics Not Elsewhere Classified | Global Change Biology | Genetics | Plant Systematics and Taxonomy | Phylogeny and Comparative Analysis | Plant Physiology | Plant Physiology | Conservation and Biodiversity | Palaeoecology | Crop And Pasture Production Not Elsewhere Classified | Conservation And Biodiversity |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Living resources (flora and fauna) | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Biological sciences | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Native vegetation | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales | Global climate change adaptation measures | Primary products from plants | Land and water management | Land and water management | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Related Links
Publications
Molecular dating and eucalypts: reply to Ladiges and Udovicic
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/SB05007
Pollen morphology of the Myrtaceae. Part 2: tribes Backhousieae, Melaleuceae, Metrosidereae, Osbornieae and Syzygieae
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/BT11175
Abstract: Pollen morphology of 16 genera and 101 species from the Myrtaceae tribes Backhousieae, Melaleuceae, Metrosidereae, Osbornieae and Syzygieae was surveyed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). The most common pollen type observed in these tribes was parasyncolpate with arcuate or angular colpi, and a rugulate exine pattern. There was little size variation in observed pollen, except for larger pollen in tribe Melaleuceae. All Metrosideros pollen grains had apocolpial islands, as well as all Callistemon species viewed by LM. Choricarpia of tribe Backhousieae had pollen with a distinctive exine pattern. Dicolporate pollen were observed in two tribes, Metrosidereae (Tepualia) and Syzygieae (Acmena), and may be of systematic value. The dicolporate grains of these two genera were also easily distinguishable from each other by using size and pollen side shape as diagnostic characters. Two pollen types were observed within the genus Melaleuca, and a number of pollen types were observed within the species-rich genus Syzygium.
Pollen morphology of the Myrtaceae. Part 3: tribes Chamelaucieae, Leptospermeae and Lindsayomyrteae
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/BT11176
Abstract: The pollen morphology of 36 genera and 147 species from the Myrtaceae tribes Chamelaucieae, Leptospermeae and Lindsayomyrteae was surveyed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). Syncolpate pollen were observed in all genera of Leptospermeae and some genera of Chamelaucieae. Genera of tribe Chamelaucieae displayed five distinct colpal morphologies, which makes it the tribe with the most erse pollen in Myrtaceae. Six genera of Chamelaucieae, including Actinodium, Chamelaucium, Darwinia, Homoranthus, Pileanthus and Verticordia, produce large acolpate pollen not observed in any other Myrtaceae. Two of these genera produce distinct pollen Actinodium is the only genus to have prolate-spheroidal shaped pollen, and Pileanthus pollen is large and dicolporate. A number of anomalous aperture types occurred in species of Chamelaucieae, including monocolporate (Homoranthus thomasii), pentacolporate (Calytrix oldfieldii) and hexacolporate (Sannantha tozerensis). Pollen of Lindsayomyrteae appeared similar to those of Leptospermeae and Chamelaucieae, and on the basis of pollen features, could be related to these two tribes.
Genetic, cytogenetic and morphological patterns in a mixed mulga population: evidence for apomixis
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/SB01043
Abstract: The mulga complex (Acacia aneura and closely related taxa) is a widespread group that is dominant in much of arid Australia. The group is taxonomically difficult, due to a complex interaction of sympatry and putative hybridisation between the major species, geographic variation within species and sympatric variation within A. aneura. Mulga is highly variable in a wide range of vegetative and reproductive characters and it is not unusual to find five or six distinct forms growing side by side. The aim of this project was to gain a better understanding of the relationships among mulga species and A. aneura varieties, as well as the maintenance of this variation. A single site in the Northern Territory, containing A. ayersiana, A. minyura and two varieties of A. aneura, was s led intensively. Six morphotypes were observed in the field and five were strongly supported by morphometric analysis. Although the mulga complex is generally tetraploid (2n = 52), triploid (2n = 39) and pentaploid (2n = 65) seedlings were produced in the study population. Microsatellite primers developed for A. mangium (sect. Juliflorae) were lified in in iduals of each morphotype, resulting in genetic marker patterns consistent with polyploidy. Genetic and morphometric distances were correlated and differences between morphotypes account for 63% of the total genetic variation (ΦPT = 0.63, P 0.001). Allele sequences confirmed the presence of genuine heterozygosity and clonality was suggested by the low genotypic ersity and the lack of allele segregation. Seedlings had identical genotypes to the maternal plants and polyembryony was observed in each taxon, consistent with apomictic reproduction. Both variation of the ploidy level and apomixis may restrict gene flow among morphotypes, playing a role in the maintenance of morphological ersity at the study site. The success of the group in arid and semi-arid Australia may also be due, in part, to these factors.
Pollen morphology of the Myrtaceae. Part 1: tribes Eucalypteae, Lophostemoneae, Syncarpieae, Xanthostemoneae and subfamily Psiloxyloideae
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/BT11174
Abstract: A family-wide palynological study of Myrtaceae was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). In this part of the study, the pollen morphology of 18 genera and 150 species from the Myrtaceae tribes of subfamily Myrtoideae, Eucalypteae, Lophostemoneae, Syncarpieae, Xanthostemoneae and subfamily Psiloxyloideae are presented. It was found that the most commonly observed pollen in these groups was parasyncolpate with a rugulate exine, whereas some species possessed an apocolpial island. The large, and sometimes syndemicolpate, pollen of Eucalypteae genera Angophora and Corymbia differed from all other genera. Most Eucalyptus pollen had endopores with a thickened exine.
Phylogenetic relationships of the family Axinellidae (Porifera : Demospongiae) using morphological and molecular data
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2000
DOI: 10.1046/J.1463-6409.2000.00029.X
Abstract: Alvarez, B., Crisp, M.D., Driver, F., Hooper, J.N.A. & Van Soest, R.W.M. (2000). Phylogenetic relationships of the family Axinellidae (Porifera: Demospongiae) using morphological and molecular data. — Zoologica Scripta , 29, 169–198. Twenty‐seven species of marine sponges belonging to Axinellidae and related groups (Halichondriidae, Dictyonellidae, Agelasida) were selected to test the monophyly of Axinellidae and investigate their phylogenetic relationships using parsimony and maximum likelihood methods. Partial 28S rDNA sequences, including the D3 domain, and traditional morphological characters (mainly skeletal ones) were used independently to construct phylogenetic trees. Sequences were aligned using the appropriate model of secondary structure of the RNA and compared to that produced by the multiple sequence alignment program, ClustalW. The alignment using secondary structure constraints produced a better estimate of the phylogeny and was demonstrated to be an effective and objective method. Results of the cladistic analyses of the molecular and morphological data sets were not fully congruent the morphological data suggest that Axinellidae is monophyletic, however, the molecular data suggest that it is nonmonophyletic. The single most‐parsimonious tree derived from the molecular data showed that species of Axinella (except A. polypoides ) are united in a clade that is more closely related to members of Agelasida than to other species of Axinellidae the remaining members of Axinellidae form a monophyletic group that is closely related to the families Dictyonellidae and Halichondriidae. The consensus tree of 20 most‐parsimonious trees from the morphological analysis, on the other hand, showed that all the s led species of Axinellidae belong to a monophyletic group which is closely related to the species of Dictyonellidae and Halichondriidae. Only two branches were identical in both cladograms, the one uniting the species of Ptilocaulis and Reniochalina and the one with the species of Dictyonellidae. The robustness of the molecular and morphological trees (or parts of the trees), was tested using bootstrap, jack‐knife, PTP and T‐PTP tests. The results of the PTP test were significant indicating significant cladistic structure in both data sets. The bootstrap and jack‐knife values indicate that the molecular tree is in general better supported than the morphological one. The lack of morphological characters and the homoplastic nature of some may explain the weak support of the morphological tree. A T‐PTP test of nonmonophyly showed that the nonmonophyly of Axinellidae, as indicated by the results of the molecular analysis, is not significant however, a T‐PTP test of monophyly of Axinellidae, as indicated by the morphological tree, produced significant results. This indicates that the monophyly of Axinellidae based on morphological data cannot be rejected the family however, cannot be defined in terms of a unique diagnostic character common to all members of the ingroup. Tests of heterogeneity (reciprocal T‐PTP and partition homogeneity test) indicated that the data partitions are heterogeneous, which could be due to s ling errors (in either data set) or differences in the underlying phylogenies therefore data were not combined in a single analysis. Further, both data sets are unequally sized (95 informative molecular characters vs. 16 informative morphological characters), which means that the molecular signal could sw the morphological signal if the data is combined. Nonmonophyly of Axinellidae is supported by chemical and genetic evidence available in the literature and DNA sequences data of axinellid species from New Zealand. However, this needs to be confirmed using independent evidence from different genes (or gene regions), biochemistry, histology or cell ultrastructure. Therefore, no changes to the taxonomic position of the family in the higher classification are proposed at this stage.
Contributions Towards a Revision of Daviesia (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). IV.* D. ulicifolia sens. lat.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1997
DOI: 10.1071/SB96013
Abstract: Following a morphometric and cladistic analysis of the Daviesia ulicifolia Andrews group (Chandler and Crisp 1997), a new species, D. sejugata, is described. It occurs disjunctly in eastern Tasmania and southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, and is closely related to D. arthropoda F.Muell., differing in a generally more robust habit, thicker fleshy phyllodes, and larger flowers. Even with this species removed from D. ulicifolia, the latter varies considerably over a wide geographic, edaphic and altitudinal range. Daviesia ulicifolia is ided into six subspecies based on distinct phenetic and phylogenetic groups delimited in the earlier study. These are subsp. aridicola (glaucous plants in arid regions), subsp. incarnata (reddish-flowered plants in the Mt Lofty Range, South Australia), subsp. ruscifolia (plants with ovate-acuminate leaves and orange flowers in Victoria and southern New South Wales (NSW), often at high altitude), subsp. stenophylla (a narrow-leaved form in northern NSW and Queensland), subsp. pilligensis (ovate-leaved plants on sandy soil in western NSW), and subsp. ulicifolia (a paraphyletic residual from south-eastern states).
Reinstatement and revision of the genus Marianthus (Pittosporaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
DOI: 10.1071/SB03029
Abstract: Cladistic analyses of the family Pittosporaceae in Australia have indicated that the genus Marianthus needs reinstatement from Billardiera. Here, Marianthus is re-circumscribed and monographed. Fourteen species are recognised, excluding the now reinstated Rhytidosporum. In this treatment, two species are reinstated (M. microphyllus, M. tenuis), a new combination is made (M. mollis) and three species are described for the first time (M. dryandra, M. paralius and M. sylvaticus).
Phylogenetic endemism: a new approach for identifying geographical concentrations of evolutionary history
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2009
Cladistic analysis and revision of Billardiera (Pittosporaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
DOI: 10.1071/SB03028
Abstract: Cladistic analyses of morphological data were used to clarify the definition of Billardiera in the context of other genera of the family Pittosporaceae. These analyses indicate that Billardiera s.str. is monophyletic including the small genera Sollya and Pronaya, but excluding Marianthus and Rhytidosporum, which have been previously included in a broader concept of Billardiera. The re-circumscribed Billardiera is revised, incorporating these changes. Five taxa are reinstated at species level (B. fusiformis, B. mutabilis, B. macrantha, B. speciosa and B.�venusta). Three are new combinations (B. fraseri, B. heterophylla, B. drummondii replacing Sollya drummondii) and three new taxa are described for the first time: B. nesophila, B. rubens and B. viridiflora.
Cenozoic extinctions account for the low diversity of extant gymnosperms compared with angiosperms
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-09-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2011.03862.X
Abstract: We test the widely held notion that living gymnosperms are 'ancient' and 'living fossils' by comparing them with their sister group, the angiosperms. This perception derives partly from the lack of gross morphological differences between some Mesozoic gymnosperm fossils and their living relatives (e.g. Ginkgo, cycads and dawn redwood), suggesting that the rate of evolution of gymnosperms has been slow. We estimated the ages and ersification rates of gymnosperm lineages using Bayesian relaxed molecular clock dating calibrated with 21 fossils, based on the phylogenetic analysis of alignments of matK chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and 26S nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences, and compared these with published estimates for angiosperms. Gymnosperm crown groups of Cenozoic age are significantly younger than their angiosperm counterparts (median age: 32 Ma vs 50 Ma) and have long unbranched stems, indicating major extinctions in the Cenozoic, in contrast with angiosperms. Surviving gymnosperm genera have ersified more slowly than angiosperms during the Neogene as a result of their higher extinction rate. Compared with angiosperms, living gymnosperm groups are not ancient. The fossil record also indicates that gymnosperms suffered major extinctions when climate changed in the Oligocene and Miocene. Extant gymnosperm groups occupy erse habitats and some probably survived after making adaptive shifts.
Revision of Brachysema (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1995
DOI: 10.1071/SB9950307
Abstract: Brachysema is revised for the first time since Bentham's (1864) treatment in Flora Australiensis last century . In the meantime. B . sect . Leptosema has been segregated as a genus. and Brachysema as circumscribed more narrowly here includes 10 species. three of which are new . A new phylogenetic analysis of the species is used as a basis for iding the genus into two sections . Taxa described as new are Brachysema minor. B. modestum. B. papilio and B. sect . Gastrocalyx. Cupulanthus is reduced to a taxonomic synonym of Brachysema . In addition. some names are reinstated to conform with the rules of nomenclature (B. celsianum). as a result of changes in genera (B. bracteolosum), and due to change in rank (B. melanopetalum).
Decline of a biome: evolution, contraction, fragmentation, extinction and invasion of the Australian mesic zone biota
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-05-2011
A phylogeny of Pouteria (Sapotaceae) from Malesia and Australasia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/SB06011
Abstract: The genus Pouteria Aublet is a pantropical group and many of its species produce high-quality timber and edible fruit. In 1991, on the basis of morphological characters, Pennington combined the genus Planchonella Pierre with Pouteria, expanding the latter genus to nine sections and 325 species. However, many Planchonella species were not included in his account and doubt remains about the generic limits of Pouteria sensu Pennington. This paper re-assesses the generic delimitation of Pouteria and its affinities with Planchonella from molecular data generated from the nuclear-encoded internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The analysis includes 22 Planchonella species and three Pouteria species sensu van Royen collected from Malesia and Australia, and seven additional Planchonella species from New Caledonia with molecular data available from GenBank. Other genera from Sapotaceae included in the analysis were Chrysophyllum, Niemeyera, Pichonia, Pycnandra and Xantolis (tribe Chrysophylleae) and Mimusops, Palaquium and Manilkara (outgroups from other tribes). The resulting ITS cladograms from both Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses indicated that Malesian and Australasian Pouteria species are not monophyletic and comprise three separate lineages, therefore providing evidence against the broad circumscription of this genus by Pennington. Tertiary leaf venation type (reticulate, parallel or ramified), when mapped onto the phylogeny, correlated with these groupings, indicating that this character is taxonomically informative.
Key innovation or adaptive change? A test of leaf traits using Triodiinae in Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-07-2015
DOI: 10.1038/SREP12398
Abstract: The evolution of novel traits (“key innovations”) allows some lineages to move into new environments or adapt to changing climates, whereas other lineages may track suitable habitat or go extinct. We test whether and how, trait shifts are linked to environmental change using Triodiinae, C 4 grasses that form the dominant understory over about 30% of Australia. Using phylogenetic and relaxed molecular clock estimates, we assess the Australian biogeographic origins of Triodiinae and reconstruct the evolution of stomatal and vascular bundle positioning. Triodiinae ersified from the mid-Miocene, coincident with the aridification of Australia. Subsequent niche shifts have been mostly from the Eremaean biome to the savannah, coincident with the expansion of the latter. Biome shifts are correlated with changes in leaf anatomy and radiations within Triodiinae are largely regional. Symplectrodia and Monodia are nested within Triodia . Rather than enabling biome shifts, convergent changes in leaf anatomy have probably occurred after taxa moved into the savannah biome—they are likely to have been subsequent adaptions rather than key innovations. Our study highlights the importance of testing the timing and origin of traits assumed to be phenotypic innovations that enabled ecological shifts.
AGE STRUCTURE, DISTRIBUTION AND SURVIVAL UNDER GRAZING OF ARID-ZONE SHRUB ACACIA-BURKITTII
Publisher: JSTOR
Date: 1976
DOI: 10.2307/3543436
Targeting CLEC9A delivers antigen to human CD141+ DC for CD4+ and CD8+T cell recognition
Publisher: American Society for Clinical Investigation
Date: 19-05-2016
Pollen morphology of the Myrtaceae. Part 4: tribes Kanieae, Myrteae and Tristanieae
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/BT11177
Abstract: Pollen morphology of 44 genera and 101 species from the Myrtaceae tribes Kanieae, Myrteae and Tristanieae was surveyed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). Most Myrteae pollen were brevicolpate and granulate, which is unique within Myrtaceae, and these are most likely ancestral characters for this tribe. Two main pollen types were observed in tribe Kanieae, one form being with syncolpate colpi and a distinctive granulate exine, and the other with parasyncolpate colpi and a less ornamented exine. Genera Tristania and Thaleropia of tribe Tristanieae produce the smallest pollen in Myrtaceae, whereas Octamyrtus of tribe Myrteae produces the largest pollen observed in Myrtaceae.
Anomalous secondary thickening in roots of Daviesia (Fabaceae) and its taxonomic significance
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 02-1989
Phylogenetic niche conservatism: what are the underlying evolutionary and ecological causes?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-09-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2012.04298.X
Abstract: Phylogenetic niche conservatism ( PNC ) is the tendency of lineages to retain their niche‐related traits through speciation events. A recent surge in the availability of well‐s led molecular phylogenies has stimulated phylogenetic approaches to understanding ecological processes at large geographical scales and through macroevolutionary time. We stress that PNC is a pattern, not a process, and is found only in some traits and some lineages. At the simplest level, a pattern of PNC is an inevitable consequence of evolution – descent with modification and ergence of lineages – but several intrinsic causes, including physicochemical, developmental and genetic constraints, can lead directly to a marked pattern of PNC . A pattern of PNC can also be caused indirectly, as a by‐product of other causes, such as extinction, dispersal limitation, competition and predation. Recognition of patterns of PNC can contribute to understanding macroevolutionary processes: for ex le, release from constraint in traits has been hypothesized to trigger adaptive radiations such as that of the angiosperms. Given the multiple causes of patterns of PNC , tests should address explicit questions about hypothesized processes. We conclude that PNC is a scientifically useful concept with applications to the practice of ecological research. Contents Summary 681 I. Introduction 681 II. What is phylogenetic niche conservatism? 682 III. Pattern or process? 683 IV. What causes a pattern of PNC? 683 V. Tests for PNC 687 VI. Conclusion: is a concept of PNC scientifically useful? 961 Acknowledgements 692 References 692
Phylogeny and Evolution of Anomalous Roots in Daviesia (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 07-2003
DOI: 10.1086/375318
Leptospermum jingera (Myrtaceae–Leptospermoideae): a new species from north-eastern Victoria
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1996
DOI: 10.1071/SB9960301
Abstract: Leptospennurn jingera, a new species from the Brumby Point area of the snowfields natural region of north-eastern Victoria, is described and illustrated. It is a highly restricted endemic most closely related to L. nainadgiensis Lyne.
Structural partitioning, paired-sites models and evolution of the ITS transcript in Syzygium and Myrtaceae
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2006.08.013
Abstract: The internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA are widely used for phylogenetic inference. Several characteristics, including the influence of RNA secondary structure on the mutational dynamics of ITS, may impact on the accuracy of phylogenies estimated from these regions. Here, we develop RNA secondary structure predictions for representatives of the angiosperm family Myrtaceae. On this basis, we assess the utility of structural (stem vs. loop) partitioning, and RNA-specific (paired-sites) models for a 76 taxon Syzygium alignment, and for a broader, family-wide Myrtaceae ITS data set. We use a permutation approach to demonstrate that structural partitioning significantly improves the likelihood of the data. Similarly, models that account for the non-independence of stem-pairs in RNA structure have a higher likelihood than those that do not. The best-fit RNA models for ITS are those that exclude simultaneous double substitutions in stem-pairs, which suggests an absence of strong selection against non-canonical (G.U/U.G) base-pairs at a high proportion of stem-paired sites. We apply the RNA-specific models to the phylogeny of Syzygium and Myrtaceae and contrast these with hypotheses derived using standard 4-state models. There is little practical difference amongst relationships inferred for Syzygium although for Myrtaceae, there are several differences. The RNA-specific approach finds topologies that are less resolved but are more consistent with conventional views of myrtaceous relationships, compared with the 4-state models.
STRUCTURE, PATTERN, AND DIVERSITY OF A MALLEE COMMUNITY IN NEW-SOUTH-WALES
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-1979
DOI: 10.1007/BF00052018
Morphometric and phylogenetic analysis of the Daviesia ulicifolia complex (Fabaceae, Mirbelieae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 1998
DOI: 10.1007/BF00991527
Self-adjuvanting nanoemulsion targeting dendritic cell receptor Clec9A enables antigen-specific immunotherapy
Publisher: American Society for Clinical Investigation
Date: 09-04-2018
DOI: 10.1172/JCI96791
Evolution of exceptional species richness among lineages of fleshy-fruited Myrtaceae
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-05-2010
DOI: 10.1093/AOB/MCQ088
Hypothesis testing in biogeography
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2010.11.005
Abstract: Often, biogeography is applied only as a narrative addition to phylogenetic studies and lacks scientific rigour. However, if research questions are framed as hypotheses, biogeographical scenarios become testable. In this review, we explain some problems with narrative biogeography and show how the use of explicit hypotheses is changing understanding of how organisms came to be distributed as they are. Developing synergies between biogeography, ecology, molecular dating and palaeontology are providing novel data and hypothesis-testing opportunities. New approaches are challenging the classic 'Gondwana' paradigm and a more complicated history of the Southern Hemisphere is emerging, involving not only general drivers such as continental drift and niche conservatism, but also drowning and re-emergence of landmasses, biotic turnover and long-distance colonization.
NOTHOFAGUS AND PACIFIC BIOGEOGRAPHY
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-1995
DOI: 10.1111/J.1096-0031.1995.TB00002.X
Abstract: - Gondwanan biogeography, particularly the relationships between southern South America, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia, has been much studied. Nothofagus is often used as the "test taxon", and many papers have been directed at using Nothofagus to explain Gondwanan biogeography. Cladistic biogeographers, working on plant material, have generally failed to find congruence among taxa expected from the southern Pacific disjunctions. New morphological and molecular data on the phytogeny of Nothofagus have re-opened the issue, and we analysed these data to construct a new hypothesis of the biogeography of the genus. We assembled all plant taxa for which we could find reasonably robust phylogenetic hypotheses, and sought a parsimonious biogeographical pattern common to all. Two analyses, based on different assumptions, produced the same general areacladogram. We use the general area-cladogram, in conjunction with the fossil record of Nothofagus to construct a historical scenario for the evolution of the genus. This scenario indicates extensive extinction, but also suggests that Australia has a more recent relationship to New Zealand than to southern South America. This is not congruent with the current geological theories, nor with the patterns evident from insect biogeography. We suggest that concordant dispersal is an unlikely explanation for this pattern, and propose that the solution might be found in alternative geological hypotheses.
A molecular phylogeny of the endemic Australian genus Gastrolobium (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae) and allied genera using chloroplast and nuclear markers
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2001
DOI: 10.2307/3558413
Bush peas: a rapid radiation with no support for monophyly of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/SB04028
Abstract: Phylogenetic hypotheses are presented for Pultenaea based on cpDNA (trnL–F and ndhF) and nrDNA (ITS) sequence data. Pultenaea, as it is currently circumscribed, comprises six strongly supported lineages whose relationships with each other and 18 closely related genera are weak or conflicting among datasets. The lack of resolution among the six Pultenaea clades and their relatives appears to be the result of a rapid radiation, which is evident in molecular data from both the chloroplast and nuclear genomes. The molecular data provide no support for the monophyly of Pultenaea as it currently stands. Given these results, Pultenaea could split into many smaller genera. We prefer the taxonomically stable alternative of subsuming all 19 genera currently recognised in Pultenaea sensu lato (= the Mirbelia group) into an expanded concept of Pultenaea that would comprise ~470 species.
A revision of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae). 4. Species occurring in Western Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/SB04029
Abstract: Twenty-five species of Pultenaea endemic to Western Australia are revised at and below species level. Three species (P. daena Orthia & Chappill, P. indira Orthia & Crisp, P. wudjariensis Orthia), three subspecies (P. calycina subsp. proxena Orthia & Chappill, P. indira subsp. monstrosita Orthia, P. indira subsp. pudoides Orthia) and two informal taxa [P. ericifolia ‘southern’ (Orthia 39), P. sp. Mt Lesueur (Beard 7827)] are described for the first time. The status of all varieties of P. verruculosa is changed: P. verruculosa var. brachyphylla (Turcz.) Benth. is reinstated at species level, P. verruculosa Turcz. var. verruculosa and P. verruculosa var. pilosa Benth. are placed in synonymy of Pultenaea verruculosa Turcz., and P. verruculosa var. recurva Benth. is found to be a nomen dubium. Three names in common usage are found to be illegitimate: P. conferta Benth. [now P. purpurea (Turcz.) Crisp & Orthia], P. obcordata (R.Br.) Benth. (now P. quaerita Orthia) and P. drummondii Meisn. (older name P. brachytropis Benth. reinstated). The Pultenaea species occurring in both western and eastern Australia are discussed and addenda made to the treatments previously published by de Kok and West (2003, 2004). The status of P. vestita R.Br. and P. juniperina Labill. as naturally occurring WA species is questioned.
Reticulate evolution in the natural range of the invasive wetland tree species Melaleuca quinquenervia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2008.02.012
Abstract: The Melaleuca leucadendra complex (broad-leaf paperbarks Myrtaceae) is a dominant component of the tropical and sub-tropical biota of Australia, particularly in wetlands of high conservation significance. In Florida and other parts of the Americas, however, one member of the group (Melaleuca quinquenervia) is a serious ecological and economic weed. Understanding the relationships and evolution of the group is integral to both conservation and biocontrol efforts. Although the complex is currently considered to include up to 14 species, there has been some concern over taxonomic boundaries within the complex because most species are circumscribed only by combinations of characters, each of which also occurs in other species. Here, DNA sequence data derived from the chloroplast and two nuclear regions are used to explore the relationships of M. quinquenervia. We find little evidence for clear species boundaries within the M. leucadendra complex in general, with regional sharing of chloroplast haplotypes across morphologically defined taxa, indicating asymmetrical introgression or retention of ancestral haplotypes (lineage sorting). Phylogenies were further confounded by the recovery of multiple copies of both nuclear regions sequenced (ITS and rpb2) from many in iduals. There was no clear evidence of polyploidy or pseudogenes, but multiple duplications of rpb2 could not be ruled out. Parsimony networks of the nuclear ITS region show some clustering of haplotypes by morphospecies but there is also evidence of both hybridisation and recombination. Signals of introgression were also evident in rpb2, supporting an hypothesis of recent or ongoing gene flow between M. quinquenervia and other members of the M. leucadendra complex. Both relaxed and fixed molecular-clock dating estimate the introgression to have occurred sometime within the past seven million years (95% CI: 0.7-18). The New Caledonian population of M. quinquenervia appears to have been established by dispersal from Australia during this period. M. quinquenervia is found to have alleles closely related to multiple different morphotaxa within the M. leucadendra complex, suggesting considerable past introgression into this taxon from some other members of the M. leucadendra complex, and this has implications for biocontrol efforts. The M. leucadendra complex appears to reflect early to intermediate stages of speciation, possibly driven by different ecologies.
A congruent molecular signature of vicariance across multiple plant lineages
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2007.02.030
Abstract: Explaining disjunct distributions, or why closely related organisms are often separated by apparently severe barriers such as oceans or deserts, is a great challenge for historical biogeography. Competing explanations are long-distance dispersal across a barrier, and vicariance, in which disjunct taxa are descended from an ancestral population that was split by formation of the barrier. Vicariance explanations are testable by their prediction that near-simultaneous speciation should have occurred across multiple lineages of organisms between the disjunct areas because the origin of a barrier would potentially disrupt gene flow within multiple species. To date, there have been few studies providing evidence for multiple synchronous ancient ergences across a barrier whose origin coincides with the timing of the speciation events. Here, we use relaxed molecular-clock dating to investigate the timing of south-western (SW) versus south-eastern (SE) ergences in 23 pairs of plant lineages in southern Australia. Sixteen of the ergences correlate with the origin, 13-14 million years (Myr) ago, of the arid treeless Nullarbor Plain. The Nullarbor Plain currently forms a substantial barrier to SW-SE migration but during the last 45Myr this region has experienced multiple episodes of marine inundation and subaerial exposure. Thus, there have been multiple events that could have caused either isolation and speciation, or secondary contact, among the taxa of southern Australia. The strong molecular signal of coincident speciation in many erse lineages during a short period provides the best evidence to date linking synchronous speciation to an ancient vicariance event.
Clock model makes a large difference to age estimates of long-stemmed clades with no internal calibration: a test using Australian grasstrees
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2014
The genus Syzygium (Myrtaceae) in Vanuatu
Publisher: Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Date: 25-09-2013
A critique of Rossberg et al. : noise obscures the genetic signal of meiobiotal ecospecies in ecogenomic datasets
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-05-2014
DEMOGRAPHY AND SURVIVAL UNDER GRAZING OF 3 AUSTRALIAN SEMI-DESERT SHRUBS
Publisher: JSTOR
Date: 1978
DOI: 10.2307/3543347
Cheiranthera (Pittosporaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/SB06045
Abstract: As part of a continuing revision of the family Pittosporaceae in Australia, we present here a monograph of the genus Cheiranthera. This treatment recognises 10 species, of which one is reinstated (C. parviflora Benth.), two are raised in rank (C. borealis, C. simplicifolia) and one is described for the first time (C. telfordii).
Taxonomic revision of Jacksonia (Leguminosae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/SB06047
Abstract: A taxonomic revision is presented of the Australian papilionoid legume genus Jacksonia R.Br. ex Sm. The group includes 74 species, the following 37 of them newly described here: Jacksonia acicularis Chappill, J. anthoclada Chappill, J. arenicola Chappill, J. arida Chappill, J. arnhemica Chappill, J. calcicola Chappill, J. chappilliae C.F. Wilkins, J. debilis Chappill, J. dendrospinosa Chappill, J. isa Chappill, J. effusa Chappill, J. elongata Chappill, J. epiphyllum Chappill, J. flexuosa Chappill, J. gracillima Chappill, J. humilis Chappill, J. intricata Chappill, J. jackson Chappill, J. lanicarpa Chappill, J. lateritica Chappill, J. nutans Chappill, J. pendens Chappill, J. pungens Chappill, J. quairading Chappill, J. quinkanensis Chappill, J. ramulosa Chappill, J. reclinata Chappill, J. remota Chappill, J. rigida Chappill, J. rubra Chappill, J. rupestris Chappill, J. spicata Chappill, J. stellaris Chappill, J. tarinensis Chappill, J. velveta Chappill, J. venosa Chappill and J. viscosa Chappill.
Phylogenetic assessment of pollen characters in Myrtaceae
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/SB11019
Abstract: Identifying synapomorphic morphological characters is needed to select and then accurately place fossils as calibrations on a phylogeny in molecular-dating analyses. The plant family Myrtaceae, with 130 genera and 5500 species, has nine different pollen types, whereas the fossil pollen record of Myrtaceae, represented by the genus Myrtaceidites, putatively extends back to the Cretaceous and also contains at least nine distinct morphospecies. To reveal potential links between extant and fossil pollen, we optimised pollen characters scored from a recent family-wide review of extant Myrtaceae pollen using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) onto a phylogeny of 111 taxa inferred from two chloroplast (matK and ndhF) and one nuclear (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) loci. Our findings indicate the potential use of colpus morphology in diagnosing pollen types in Myrtaceae, whereas the majority of character states of exine pattern, presence of apocolpial island and pollen width appear to be homoplasious. The results of the present study have implications for understanding the relationship between fossil morphospecies and extant Myrtaceae species, and their reliable choice in molecular dating.
Revision of Rhytidosporum (Pittosporaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.1071/SB97050
Abstract: As part of a revision of the family Pittosporaceae in Australia, a cladistic analysis was undertaken to resolve the phylogeny of Rhytidosporum and thereby clarify the taxonomic status of this small genus. Rhytidosporum is confirmed as a separate genus, and five species are now recognised: R. alpinum, R. diosmoides, R. inconspicuum, R. procumbens and R. prostratum. Rhytidosporum inconspicuum, found in subalpine areas mainly in Victoria and Tasmania, is described for the first time. Rhytidosporum diosmoides, which ranges from central New South Wales to southern Queensland, is reinstated at species level.
Phylogenetic evaluation of 5S ribosomal RNA gene and spacer in theCallistachys group (Fabaceae:Mirbelieae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.1007/BF01087032
Microsatellite variation for phylogenetic, phylogeographic and population-genetic studies in Lomatia (Proteaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1071/SB13002
Abstract: Lomatia R.Br. is a genus of 12 species in South America and eastern Australia. Hybridisation is extensive in the Australian species and molecular work is required to understand phylogenetic relationships and examine potential gene flow among species. We developed a library of microsatellite markers for Lomatia silaifolia (Sm.) R.Br. These markers were tested across population s les of L. silaifolia and L. myricoides (C.F.Gaertn.) Domin, assessed for cross lification across all 12 species of Lomatia, sequenced and inspected for variation in the microsatellite flanking region (MFR), and utilised for phylogeographic and phylogenetic analysis. Nineteen microsatellite markers were tested, 13 of which were polymorphic in size analysis. Four of the markers lified consistently within Lomatia and the MFR had equivalent to or more sequence variation than the three universal markers (psbA–trnH intergenic spacer, PHYA, ITS). Variation within five in iduals of L. silaifolia indicated that MFR could be phylogeographically informative. Combined phylogenetic analysis of Lomatia using universal markers and MFR resulted in a well supported tree however, phylogenetic analysis of only MFR suggested non-monophyly of the species. Phylogenetic trees supported South American species as being erged from the Australian species but paraphyletic with respect to the Australian lineage. Relationships among Australian species of Lomatia are correlated with geography rather than morphology. We found that microsatellite markers designed for Lomatia and the flanking regions can be informative at population, phylogenetic and phylogeographic levels.
Evolutionary speed limited by water in arid Australia
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 21-04-2010
Abstract: The covariation of bio ersity with climate is a fundamental pattern in nature. However, despite the ubiquity of this relationship, a consensus on the ultimate cause remains elusive. The evolutionary speed hypothesis posits direct mechanistic links between ambient temperature, the tempo of micro-evolution and, ultimately, species richness. Previous research has demonstrated faster rates of molecular evolution in warmer climates for a broad range of poikilothermic and homeothermic organisms, in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. In terrestrial systems, species richness increases with both temperature and water availability and the interaction of those terms: productivity. However, the influence of water availability as an independent variable on micro-evolutionary processes has not been examined previously. Here, using methodology that limits the potentially confounding role of cladogenetic and demographic processes, we report, to our knowledge, the first evidence that woody plants living in the arid Australian Outback are evolving more slowly than related species growing at similar latitudes in moist habitats on the mesic continental margins. These results support a modified evolutionary speed explanation for the relationship between the water-energy balance and plant ersity patterns.
Activation of human CD141+ and CD1c+ dendritic cells in vivo with combined TLR3 and TLR7/8 ligation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/IMCB.12009
Abstract: Mice reconstituted with human hematopoietic stem cells are valuable models to study aspects of the human immune system in vivo. We describe a humanized mouse model (hu mice) in which fully functional human CD141
Nanocarrier Technologies
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date: 2006
EXPLOSIVE RADIATION OR CRYPTIC MASS EXTINCTION? INTERPRETING SIGNATURES IN MOLECULAR PHYLOGENIES
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1558-5646.2009.00728.X
Abstract: How bio ersity is generated and maintained underlies many major questions in evolutionary biology, particularly relating to the tempo and pattern of ersification through time. Molecular phylogenies and new analytical methods provide additional tools to help interpret evolutionary processes. Evolutionary rates in lineages sometimes appear punctuated, and such "explosive" radiations are commonly interpreted as adaptive, leading to causative key innovations being sought. Here we argue that an alternative process might explain apparently rapid radiations ("broom-and-handle" or "stemmy" patterns seen in many phylogenies) with no need to invoke dramatic increase in the rate of ersification. We use simulations to show that mass extinction events can produce the same phylogenetic pattern as that currently being interpreted as due to an adaptive radiation. By comparing simulated and empirical phylogenies of Australian and southern African legumes, we find evidence for coincident mass extinctions in multiple lineages that could have resulted from global climate change at the end of the Eocene.
Genetic evidence for paternal inheritance of the chloroplast in four Australian Callitris species (Cupressaceae)
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-2014
Not an ancient relic: the endemicLivistonapalms of arid central Australia could have been introduced by humans
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-03-2012
Abstract: Livistona mariae is an endemic palm localized in arid central Australia. This species is separated by about 1000 km from its congener L. rigida , which grows distantly in the Roper River and Nicholson–Gregory River catchments in northern Australia. Such an isolated distribution of L. mariae has been assumed to have resulted from contraction of ancestral populations as Australia aridified from the Mid-Miocene ( ca 15 Ma). To test this hypothesis at the population level, we examined the genetic relationships among 14 populations of L. mariae and L. rigida using eight nuclear microsatellite loci. Our population tree and Bayesian clustering revealed that these populations comprised two genetically distinct groups that did not correspond to the current classification at species rank, and L. mariae showed closest affinity with L. rigida from Roper River. Furthermore, coalescent ergence-time estimations suggested that the disjunction between the northern populations (within L. rigida ) could have originated by intermittent colonization along an ancient river that has been drowned repeatedly by marine transgression. During that time, L. mariae populations could have been established by opportunistic immigrants from Roper River about 15 000 years ago, concurrently with the settlement of indigenous Australians in central Australia, who are thus plausible vectors. Thus, our results rule out the ancient relic hypothesis for the origin of L. mariae .
Isolation and characterization of 52 polymorphic EST-SSR markers forCallitris columellaris(Cupressaceae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.3732/AJB.1100276
Abstract: We developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for Callitris columellaris sensu lato (s.l.) to elucidate population genetic structure and detect outlier loci by genome scan. mRNA from an in idual seedling was subjected to cDNA synthesis and then de novo pyrosequencing. Two hundred and nineteen primer pairs bordering sequence regions were designed from the obtained sequence data. In total, 52 showed polymorphism within 16 in iduals representative of the species' entire range, with the number of alleles per locus and expected heterozygosity ranging from two to 10 and 0.06 to 0.84, respectively. The EST-SSR markers developed in this study will be useful for evaluating the range-wide genetic structure of C. columellaris s.l. and detecting outlier loci under selection, as well as providing useful markers to investigate the conservation genetics and reproductive ecology of the species.
Climate, not Aboriginal landscape burning, controlled the historical demography and distribution of fire-sensitive conifer populations across Australia
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-12-2013
Abstract: Climate and fire are the key environmental factors that shape the distribution and demography of plant populations in Australia. Because of limited palaeoecological records in this arid continent, however, it is unclear as to which factor impacted vegetation more strongly, and what were the roles of fire regime changes owing to human activity and megafaunal extinction (since ca 50 kya). To address these questions, we analysed historical genetic, demographic and distributional changes in a widespread conifer species complex that paradoxically grows in fire-prone regions, yet is very sensitive to fire. Genetic demographic analysis showed that the arid populations experienced strong bottlenecks, consistent with range contractions during the Last Glacial Maximum ( ca 20 kya) predicted by species distribution models. In southern temperate regions, the population sizes were estimated to have been mostly stable, followed by some expansion coinciding with climate amelioration at the end of the last glacial period. By contrast, in the flammable tropical savannahs, where fire risk is the highest, demographic analysis failed to detect significant population bottlenecks. Collectively, these results suggest that the impact of climate change overwhelmed any modifications to fire regimes by Aboriginal landscape burning and megafaunal extinction, a finding that probably also applies to other fire-prone vegetation across Australia.
The impact of multiple biogeographic barriers and hybridization on species-level differentiation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.3732/AJB.1200327
Abstract: The glacial cycles of the Quaternary did not impact Australia in the same way as Europe and North America. Here we investigate the history of population isolation, species differentiation, and hybridization in the southeastern Australian landscape, using five species of Lomatia (Proteaceae). We use a chloroplast DNA phylogeography to assess chloroplast haplotype (chlorotype) sharing among these species and whether species with shared distributions have been affected by shared biogeographic barriers. • We used six chloroplast DNA simple sequence repeats (cpSSR) across five species of Lomatia, s led across their entire distributional range in southeastern Australia. Resulting size data were combined, presented as a network, and visualized on a map. Biogeographical barriers were tested using AMOVA. To explore hypotheses of chlorotype origin, we converted the network into a cladogram and reconciled with all possible species trees using parsimony-based tree mapping. • Some chlorotypes were shared across multiple species of Lomatia in the study, including between morphologically differentiated species. Chlorotypes were either widespread in distribution or geographically restricted to specific regions. Biogeographical structure was identified across the range of Lomatia. The most parsimonious reconciled tree incorporated horizontal transfer of chlorotypes. • Lomatia shows evidence of both incomplete lineage sorting and extensive hybridization between co-occurring species. Although the species in the study appear to have responded to a number of biogeographic barriers to varying degrees, our findings identified the Hunter River Valley as the most important long-term biogeographic barrier for the genus in southeastern Australia.
Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2010
How Was the Australian Flora Assembled Over the Last 65 Million Years? A Molecular Phylogenetic Perspective
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 23-11-2013
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-ECOLSYS-110512-135910
Abstract: Australia has a mostly dry, open, fire-shaped landscape of sclerophyllous and xeromorphic flora dominated by eucalypt and acacia trees, with erse shrubs from a few families such as Myrtaceae, Proteaceae, and Fabaceae. Using molecular phylogenies to test hypotheses derived from the fossil record, we review the principal forces that transformed the ancestral Gondwanan rainforest through the Cenozoic. Today's vegetation is a mix of ancient radiations that have persisted in Australia through dramatic climate change since before the breakup of Gondwana, and more recent lineages whose ancestors arrived by trans-oceanic dispersal. Signatures in the fossil record of lineage turnover and trait evolutionary change are detected in phylogenies, but often at earlier dates. The Australian biota is a s le of the wider region, with extinction of some taxa and radiation of others (due to chance and opportunity), but biotic and abiotic interactions have resulted in a unique flora and fauna.
Conjugation of an scFab domain to the oligomeric HIV envelope protein for use in immune targeting.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-08-2019
Revision of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) in Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/SB99021
Abstract: Following a phylogenetic analysis using morphology, Pittosporum is here monographed and recircumscribed as a monophyletic genus, by including the small genus Citriobatus and by excluding a new genus, described in the accompanying paper as Auranticarpa. Within Australia and its associated territories, 20 species are now recognised in Pittosporum, including the four from Citriobatus, three of which are given new combinations (P. spinescens, P. lancifolium and P. multiflorum). Citriobatus linearis requires a new name (P. viscidum). Four species are reinstated or confirmed at species level (P. angustifolium, P. ligustrifolium, P. nativitatis and P. wingii), and P. trilobum is described for the first time.
A new species of Bentleya E. Bennett (Pittosporaceae) from southern Western Australia
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-1990
Auranticarpa, a new genus of Pittosporaceae from northern Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/SB99022
Abstract: Following the revision of the family Pittosporaceae in Australia, a new genus, Auranticarpa, is described and monographed here to accommodate a monophyletic group excluded from Pittosporum in cladistic analyses. Auranticarpa occurs mostly in monsoonal northern Australia, and has six species. New combinations are provided for three taxa previously placed in Pittosporum: A. melanosperma, A. resinosa (reinstated this analysis) and A. rhombifolia and three are described for the first time: A. edentata, A. ilicifolia and A. papyracea.
Generic delimitation and phylogenetic uncertainty: an example from a group that has undergone an explosive radiation
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/SB04016
Abstract: Phylogenetic trees can provide a stable basis for a higher-level classification of organisms that reflects evolutionary relationships. However, some lineages have a complex evolutionary history that involves explosive radiation or hybridisation. Such histories have become increasingly apparent with the use of DNA sequence data for phylogeny estimation and explain, in part, past difficulties in producing stable morphology-based classifications for some groups. We illustrate this situation by using the ex le of tribe Mirbelieae (Fabaceae), whose generic classification has been fraught for decades. In particular, we discuss a recent proposal to combine 19 of the 25 Mirbelieae genera into a single genus, Pultenaea sens. lat., and how we might find stable and consistent ways to squeeze something as complex as life into little boxes for our own convenience.
Phylogenetic diversity meets conservation policy: small areas are key to preserving eucalypt lineages
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 19-02-2015
Abstract: Evolutionary and genetic knowledge is increasingly being valued in conservation theory, but is rarely considered in conservation planning and policy. Here, we integrate phylogenetic ersity (PD) with spatial reserve prioritization to evaluate how well the existing reserve system in Victoria, Australia captures the evolutionary lineages of eucalypts, which dominate forest canopies across the state. Forty-three per cent of remaining native woody vegetation in Victoria is located in protected areas (mostly national parks) representing 48% of the extant PD found in the state. A modest expansion in protected areas of 5% (less than 1% of the state area) would increase protected PD by 33% over current levels. In a recent policy change, portions of the national parks were opened for development. These tourism development zones hold over half the PD found in national parks with some species and clades falling entirely outside of protected zones within the national parks. This approach of using PD in spatial prioritization could be extended to any clade or area that has spatial and phylogenetic data. Our results demonstrate the relevance of PD to regional conservation policy by highlighting that small but strategically located areas disproportionally impact the preservation of evolutionary lineages.
Tree thinking for all biology: the problem with reading phylogenies as ladders of progress
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1002/BIES.20794
Abstract: Phylogenies are increasingly prominent across all of biology, especially as DNA sequencing makes more and more trees available. However, their utility is compromised by widespread misconceptions about what phylogenies can tell us, and improved "tree thinking" is crucial. The most-serious problem comes from reading trees as ladders from "left to right"--many biologists assume that species-poor lineages that appear "early branching" or "basal" are ancestral--we call this the "primitive lineage fallacy". This mistake causes misleading inferences about changes in in idual characteristics and leads to misrepresentation of the evolutionary process. The problem can be rectified by considering that modern phylogenies of present-day species and genes show relationships among evolutionary cousins. Emphasizing that these are extant entities in the 21(st) century will help correct inferences about ancestral characteristics, and will enable us to leave behind 19(th) century notions about the ladder of progress driving evolution.
Need morphology always be required for new species descriptions?
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/IS10011
Abstract: Despite the widespread and common use of DNA-sequence data to estimate phylogenies, support or contest classifications, and identify species using barcodes, they are not commonly used as the primary or sole source of data for describing species. This is possibly due to actual or perceived pressure from peers to include morphology as the primary source of data for species descriptions. We find no compelling evidence to exclude DNA-only descriptions, or to insist that morphology always be included in a species description. It is not the data type per se that is important, but the science behind the taxonomic conclusions. Using alternative kinds of data for descriptions should not cause problems for taxonomy if links are kept with type specimens.
Evolution of the coastal neospecies Zieria prostrata (Rutaceae) and its relationship to the Zieria smithii species complex
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/SB02031
Abstract: The endangered plant Zieria prostrata J.A.Armstrong (Rutaceae) is known from only four coastal headlands in northern New South Wales, Australia. The discovery of another headland Zieria form, Z. sp. aff. smithii, raised questions about the taxonomic status of Z. prostrata and its relationship to the Z. smithii Jacks. species complex. Morphometrics was used as the primary tool for investigating the relationship between Z.�prostrata and the Z. smithii species complex, while a genetic study utilising RAPD markers was used to assess the validity of the distinct evolutionary lineages implied by the morphometric analysis. Z. prostrata formed a distinct group in phenetic space based upon the morphometric data, but with an incomplete discontinuity between it and nearby populations of Z. smithii based upon the genetic data, implying that Z. prostrata may be considered a distinct but incipient species. While the morphometric data set suggested that Z. sp. aff. smithii may be worthy of subspecific status, the genetic data revealed that each headland population is likely to have originated independently from inland populations of Z. smithii. Therefore, the morphological similarity among populations of Z. sp. aff. smithii does not reflect evolutionary relatedness, but rather is likely to be a consequence of parallelism and active or rapid speciation. Z. sp. aff. smithii is therefore considered to be a headland ecotype of Z. smithii.
Interpreting the modern distribution of Myrtaceae using a dated molecular phylogeny
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2015.07.007
Abstract: The angiosperm family Myrtaceae has extant and fossil taxa from all southern continents and is assumed to be of Gondwanan origin. Many modern groups contain sister taxa that have disjunct transoceanic distributions, which can be interpreted as a result of either vicariance or long-distance dispersal and establishment (LDDE). Further, some Myrtaceae groups occur on Pacific islands with enigmatic geological histories. We tested hypotheses of vicariance and LDDE by estimating ergence times using a relaxed molecular clock calibrated with 12 fossils. In total, 88 genera and 202 species were s led, representing both subfamilies and all tribes of Myrtaceae. We reconstructed the family as Gondwanan in origin. Of the 22 geographically disjunct sister groups in our study, up to six are potentially explained as the product of vicariance, three resulting from overland dispersal via new land connections, and 13 due to LDDE events. Nine of the 13 hypothesized LDDE events occurred in fleshy-fruited taxa. Our results indicate that most of the transoceanic distribution patterns in Myrtaceae have occurred since the Miocene due to LDDE, whereas inferred vicariance events all occurred before the Late Eocene. There are many instances of sister relationships between species-poor and species-rich groups in Myrtaceae, and at least three occurrences of geographically isolated taxa on long branches of the phylogeny (Arillastrum, Myrtus, and Tepualia), whose modern-day distributions are difficult to explain without additional fossil or geological evidence.
Do early branching lineages signify ancestral traits?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2004.11.010
Abstract: A reverence for ancestors that has pre-occupied humans since time immemorial persists to the present. Reconstructing ancestry is the focus of many biological studies but failure to distinguish between present-day descendants and long-dead ancestors has led to incorrect interpretation of phylogenetic trees. This has resulted in erroneous reconstruction of traits such as morphology and ancestral areas. Misinterpretation becomes evident when authors use the terms 'basal' or 'early erging' to refer to extant taxa. Here, we discuss the correct interpretation of trees and methods for reconstructing the ancestral features of organisms using recently developed statistical models. These models can be inaccurate unless they use information that is independent of phylogenies, such as genetics, molecular and developmental biology, functional morphology, geological and climatic processes, and the fossil record.
Congruent species delineation of T ulasnella using multiple loci and methods
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-09-2013
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.12492
Towards a new classification system for legumes: Progress report from the 6th International Legume Conference
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Radiation of the Australian flora: what can comparisons of molecular phylogenies across multiple taxa tell us about the evolution of diversity in present–day communities?
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 29-10-2004
Abstract: The Australian fossil record shows that from ca . 25 Myr ago, the aseasonal–wet biome (rainforest and wet heath) gave way to the unique Australian sclerophyll biomes dominated by eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas. This transition coincided with tectonic isolation of Australia, leading to cooler, drier, more seasonal climates. From 3 Myr ago, aridification caused rapid opening of the central Australian arid zone. Molecular phylogenies with dated nodes have provided new perspectives on how these events could have affected the evolution of the Australian flora. During the Mid–Cenozoic (25–10 Myr ago) period of climatic change, there were rapid radiations in sclerophyll taxa, such as Banksia , eucalypts, pea–flowered legumes and Allocasuarina . At the same time, taxa restricted to the aseasonal–wet biome ( Nothofagus , Podocarpaceae and Araucariaceae) did not radiate or were depleted by extinction. During the Pliocene aridification, two Eremean biome taxa ( Lepidium and Chenopodiaceae) radiated rapidly after dispersing into Australia from overseas. It is clear that the biomes have different histories. Lineages in the aseasonal–wet biome are species poor, with sister taxa that are species rich, either outside Australia or in the sclerophyll biomes. In conjunction with the fossil record, this indicates depletion of the Australian aseasonal–wet biome from the Mid–Cenozoic. In the sclerophyll biomes, there have been multiple exchanges between the southwest and southeast, rather than single large endemic radiations after a vicariance event. There is need for rigorous molecular phylogenetic studies so that additional questions can be addressed, such as how interactions between biomes may have driven the speciation process during radiations. New studies should include the hitherto neglected monsoonal tropics.
Turnover of southern cypresses in the post-Gondwanan world: extinction, transoceanic dispersal, adaptation and rediversification
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.15561
Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-02-2011
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS1191
Abstract: Fire is a major modifier of communities, but the evolutionary origins of its prevalent role in shaping current biomes are uncertain. Australia is among the most fire-prone continents, with most of the landmass occupied by the fire-dependent sclerophyll and savanna biomes. In contrast to biomes with similar climates in other continents, Australia has a tree flora dominated by a single genus, Eucalyptus, and related Myrtaceae. A unique mechanism in Myrtaceae for enduring and recovering from fire damage likely resulted in this dominance. Here, we find a conserved phylogenetic relationship between post-fire resprouting (epicormic) anatomy and biome evolution, dating from 60 to 62 Ma, in the earliest Palaeogene. Thus, fire-dependent communities likely existed 50 million years earlier than previously thought. We predict that epicormic resprouting could make eucalypt forests and woodlands an excellent long-term carbon bank for reducing atmospheric CO(2) compared with biomes with similar fire regimes in other continents.
Historical biogeography and patterns of diversity in plants, algae and fungi: introduction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2001
Phylogenetic relationships of two anomalous species of Pultenaea (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae), and description of a new genus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-1999
DOI: 10.2307/1223641
Understanding diversity and systematics in Australian fabaceae tribe mirbelieae
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 20-08-2021
DOI: 10.3390/D13080391
Abstract: Australia has a very erse pea-flowered legume flora with 1715 native and naturalised species currently recognised. Tribe Mirbelieae s.l. includes 44% of Australia’s peas in 24 genera with 756 recognised species. However, several genera within the Pultenaea alliance in tribe Mirbelieae are considered to be non-monophyletic and two main options have been proposed: option one is to merge ca. 18 genera containing ca. 540 species (the largest genus, Pultenaea has nomenclatural priority) and option two is to re-circumscribe some genera and describe new genera as required to form monophyletic groups. At the species level, option one would require 76% of names to be changed whereas based on available data, option two is likely to require, at most, 8.3% of names to change. Option two therefore provides the least nomenclatural disruption but cannot be implemented without a robust phylogenetic framework to define new generic limits. Here we present novel analyses of available plastid DNA data (trnL-F) which suggest that option two would be feasible once sufficient data are generated to resolve relationships. However, the reticulate evolutionary histories or past rapid speciation suggested for this group may prevent the resolution of all nodes. We propose targeted use of Next-Generation Sequencing technology as the best way to resolve relationships between the key clades in the tribe and present a framework for such a study. An overview of current taxonomy in the tribe is presented, along with the state of taxonomic knowledge and availability of published descriptions for electronic flora treatments. Several new combinations and typifications are published in an appendix.
Phylogenetic analysis of Parmotrema (Parmeliaceae: Lichenized Ascomycotina)
Publisher: American Bryological and Lichenological Society
Date: 09-2000
Biome assembly: what we know and what we need to know
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2006
Not so ancient: the extant crown group of Nothofagus represents a post-Gondwanan radiation
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 27-09-2005
Abstract: This study uses a molecular-dating approach to test hypotheses about the biogeography of Nothofagus . The molecular modelling suggests that the present-day subgenera and species date from a radiation that most likely commenced between 55 and 40 Myr ago. This rules out the possibility of a reconciled all-vicariance hypothesis for the biogeography of extant Nothofagus . However, the molecular dates for ergences between Australasian and South American taxa are consistent with the rifting of Australia and South America from Antarctica. The molecular dates further suggest a dispersal of subgenera Lophozonia and Fuscospora between Australia and New Zealand after the onset of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and west wind drift. It appears likely that the New Caledonian lineage of subgenus Brassospora erged from the New Guinean lineage elsewhere, prior to colonizing New Caledonia. The molecular approach strongly supports fossil-based estimates that Nothofagus erged from the rest of Fagales more than 84 Myr ago. However, the mid-Cenozoic estimate for the ersification of the four extant subgenera conflicts with the palynological interpretation because pollen fossils, attributed to all four extant subgenera, were widespread across the Weddellian province of Gondwana about 71 Myr ago. The discrepancy between the pollen and molecular dates exists even when confidence intervals from several sources of error are taken into account. In contrast, the molecular age estimates are consistent with macrofossil dates. The incongruence between pollen fossils and molecular dates could be resolved if the early pollen types represent extinct lineages, with similar types later evolving independently in the extant lineages.
Phylogenetic biome conservatism on a global scale
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-02-2009
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE07764
Abstract: How and why organisms are distributed as they are has long intrigued evolutionary biologists. The tendency for species to retain their ancestral ecology has been demonstrated in distributions on local and regional scales, but the extent of ecological conservatism over tens of millions of years and across continents has not been assessed. Here we show that biome stasis at speciation has outweighed biome shifts by a ratio of more than 25:1, by inferring ancestral biomes for an ecologically erse s le of more than 11,000 plant species from around the Southern Hemisphere. Stasis was also prevalent in transocean colonizations. Availability of a suitable biome could have substantially influenced which lineages establish on more than one landmass, in addition to the influence of the rarity of the dispersal events themselves. Conversely, the taxonomic composition of biomes has probably been strongly influenced by the rarity of species' transitions between biomes. This study has implications for the future because if clades have inherently limited capacity to shift biomes, then their evolutionary potential could be strongly compromised by biome contraction as climate changes.
Monograph of Gastrolobium (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1071/SB01010
Abstract: A taxonomic revision with full descriptions and key are presented for the 109 known species of Gastrolobium, including 29 new species described here for the first time. Brachysema, Jansonia and Nemcia are formally placed into Gastrolobium and new combinations have been made where necessary. Included in the revision are full taxonomic descriptions for all species, full synonymies, literature references for original publications, typification, including selection of lectotypes where necessary, distributions complete with maps, and taxonomic and nomenclatural notes. New taxa described herein are G. acrocaroli, G. aculeatum, G. alternifolium, G.�congestum, G. crispatum, G. cruciatum, G. cyanophyllum, G. diabolophyllum, G. discolor, G. elegans, G.�euryphyllum, G. ferrugineum, G. glabratum, G. hians, G. humile, G. involutum, G. melanopetalum, G.�mondurup, G. musaceum, G. nudum, G. nutans, G. reflexum, G. rhombifolium, G. semiteres, G. tenue, G.�tergiversum, G. venulosum, G. whicherensis and G. wonganensis.
Bursaria (Pittosporaceae): a morphometric analysis and revision
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.1071/SB97036
Abstract: Bursariais an endemic Australian genus of mostlyspinescent, scruffy shrubs and trees, found in all but the most arid or alpineareas. Previous classifications include many infraspecific taxa and haveproved unworkable in eastern Australia. This paper presents a revision of thegenus. On the basis of phenetic analyses of morphometric characters thefollowing taxa are now recognised: B. calcicolaL.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford, B. incana Lindl.,B. longisepala Domin,B. occidentalis E.M.Benn.,B. reevesii L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford,B. spinosa Cav. subsp. lasiophylla (E.M.Benn.) L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford, B. spinosasubsp. spinosa and B. tenuifoliaF.M.Bail. Two are described as new(B. calcicola, B. reevesii), and one is changed in rank:B. spinosa subsp. lasiophylla(formerly B. lasiophylla E.M.Benn.). None of the otherinfraspecific taxa recognised previously is supported by our analyses.
Revision of Leptosema (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.1071/SB97031
Abstract: Leptosema has 13 species with pea-flowers modified forbird-pollination. It is endemic to Australia, being distributed widely in thewest, centre, north and north-east of the continent. This paper is a monographof the genus. Updated cladistic and biogeographic analyses are presented and,based on the former, a new classification is formalised. Taxa described as neware Leptosema sect. Leptosema, L.ser. Callipetalum, L. cervicorneCrisp, L chapmanii Crisp,L. villosum Crisp, L. sect.Oolobium Crisp and L. ser.Pereostemon Crisp. New combinations or ranks are madefor L. aphyllum (Hook.) Crisp,L. macrocarpum (Benth.) Crisp, L.tomentosum (Benth.) Crisp,L. uniflorum (R.Br. ex Benth.) Crisp, andL. sect. Burgesia (F.Muell.)Crisp. Lectotypes are chosen for the synonymsBrachysema aphyllum Hook.,B. chambersii (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth.,B. macrocarpum Benth.,B. oxylobioides (F.Muell.) Benth.,B. uniflorum R.Br. ex Benth.,Burgesia homaloclada F.Muell.,Jacksonia anomala Ewart & Morrison,J. petrophiloides W.Fitzg. andTempletonia regina J.L.Drumm.
Cladistic Biogeography of Plants in Australia and New Guinea: Congruent Pattern Reveals Two Endemic Tropical Tracks
Publisher: JSTOR
Date: 12-1995
DOI: 10.2307/2413654
Directional asymmetry of long-distance dispersal and colonization could mislead reconstructions of biogeography
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-04-2005
Taxonomic revision of Gompholobium (Leguminosae: Mirbelieae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1071/SB07030
Abstract: A taxonomic revision is presented of the Australasian legume genus Gompholobium Sm. The group includes 44 species, the following six of them newly described here: Gompholobium gairdnerianum Chappill, G. glutinosum Chappill, G. karijini Chappill, G. pungens Chappill, G. roseum Chappill and G. wonganense Chappill. Gompholobium asperulum (S.Moore) Crisp is recognised here as a nomenclatural synonym of G. shuttleworthii Meisn. The taxon that has been known under the former name is renamed as Gompholobium cinereum Chappill. Gompholobium venustum R.Br. var. laeve Benth. is recognised as a distinct species, G. cyaninum Chappill, the new epithet recognising the unique blue standard and wings of this species. Gompholobium aristatum var. muticum Benth., G. aristatum var. laxum Benth. and G. virgatum var. aspalathoides (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Benth. are all raised to specific status. Gompholobium simplicifolium (F.Muell. & Tate) Crisp is excluded.
Niche differentiation and spatial partitioning in the evolution of two Australian monsoon tropical tree species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-11-2012
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.12027
AusTraits – a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-01-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.04.425314
Abstract: We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of measurements of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 375 traits across 29230 taxa from field c aigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and in idual taxa descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological parameters (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised in idual-, species- and genus-level observations coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties. This data descriptor provides information on version 2.1.0 of AusTraits which contains data for 937243 trait-by-taxa combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data to increase our collective understanding of the Australian flora.
Three explanations for biodiversity hotspots: small range size, geographical overlap and time for species accumulation. An A ustralian case study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.13199
Abstract: To understand the generation and maintenance of bio ersity hotspots, we tested three major hypotheses: rates of ersification, ecological limits to ersity, and time for species accumulation. Using dated molecular phylogenies, measures of species' range size and geographical clade overlap, niche modelling, and lineages‐through‐time plots of Australian Fabaceae, we compared the southwest Australia Floristic Region ( SWAFR a global bio ersity hotspot) with a latitudinally equivalent non‐hotspot, southeast Australia ( SEA ). Ranges of species (real and simulated) were smaller in the SWAFR than in SEA . Geographical overlap of clades was significantly greater for Daviesia in the SWAFR than in SEA , but the inverse for Bossiaea . Lineage ersification rates over the past 10 Myr did not differ between the SWAFR and SEA in either genus. Interaction of multiple factors probably explains the differences in measured ersity between the two regions. Steeper climatic gradients in the SWAFR probably explain the smaller geographical ranges of both genera there. Greater geographical overlap of clades in the SWAFR , combined with a longer time in the region, can explain why Daviesia is far more species‐rich there than in SEA . Our results indicate that the time for speciation and ecological limits hypotheses, in concert, can explain the differences in bio ersity.
Geographic and Ontogenetic Variation in Morphology of Australian Waratahs (Telopea: Proteaceae)
Publisher: JSTOR
Date: 03-1993
DOI: 10.2307/2992556
Ancient relicts or recent dispersal: how long have cycads been in central Australia?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-06-2012
Contributions Towards a Revision of Daviesia (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). V. D. cardiophylla sens. lat.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1997
DOI: 10.1071/SB96015
Abstract: Three new species, Daviesia cunderdin, D. euryloba and D. umbonata, are described from south-western Western Australia. The first is a recently discovered rare and endangered species from near the town after which it is named. The latter two are segregated from the widespread and variable species D. cardiophylla F.Muell. Full descriptions, illustrations, a distribution map and a key to all four species are presented.
Contributions towards a revision of Daviesia (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). III.* A synopsis of the genus
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1995
DOI: 10.1071/SB9951155
Abstract: A taxonomic census and key are presented for the 135 known species and subspecies in Daviesia Smith. This includes 31 species and six additional subspecies which are formally described and illustrated here for the first time. The census includes a list of recognised taxa with full synonymy literature references for original and selected later publications typification, including selection of lectotypes and neotypes where necessary distribution by botanical districts and taxonomic and nomenclatural notes. New taxa described herein are: D. apiculata, D. argillacea, D. articulata, D. audax, D. bursarioides, D. c ephylla, D. chapmanii, D. crassa, D. dilatata, D. elongata subsp. implexa, D. glossosema, D. grossa, D. hamata, D. incrassata subsp. teres, D. intricata subsp. intricata, D. intricata subsp. xiphophylla, D. lineata, D. megacalyx, D. microcarpa, D. nudiflora subsp. lectens, D. nudiflora subsp. hirtella, D. oxyclada, D. oxylobium, D. pleurophylla, D. pseudaphylla, D. pteroclada, D. ramosissima, D. retrorsa, D. rhizomata, D. rubiginosa, D. sarissa subsp. sarissa, D. sarissa subsp. redacta, D. scoparia, D. smithiorum, D. speciosa, D. tortuosa, D. uncinata. In addition, the following new combinations are made: D. benthamii subsp. acanthoclona, D. decipiens, D. emarginata, D. incrassata subsp. reversijolia, D. major and D. nudijlora subsp. drummondii.* Part II, Australian Systematic Botany, 1991,4,229–298.
Livistona palms in Australia: Ancient relics or opportunistic immigrants?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2009.09.020
Abstract: Eighteen of the 34 species of the fan palm genus Livistona (Arecaceae) are restricted to Australia and southern New Guinea, east of Wallace's Line, an ancient biogeographic boundary between the former supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana. The remaining species extend from SE Asia to Africa, west of Wallace's Line. Competing hypotheses contend that Livistona is (a) ancient, its current distribution a relict of the supercontinents, or (b) a Miocene immigrant from the north into Australia as it drifted towards Asia. We have tested these hypotheses using Bayesian and penalized likelihood molecular dating based on 4Kb of nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences with multiple fossil calibration points. Ancestral areas and biomes were reconstructed using parsimony and maximum likelihood. We found strong support for the second hypothesis, that a single Livistona ancestor colonized Australia from the north about 10-17Ma. Spread and ersification of the genus within Australia was likely favoured by a transition from the aseasonal wet to monsoonal biome, to which it could have been preadapted by fire-tolerance.
Species limits and cryptic biogeographic structure in a widespread complex of Australian monsoon tropics trees (broad-leaf paperbarks: Melaleuca, Myrtaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/SB18032
Abstract: The Australian monsoon tropics are currently dominated by savanna and tropical woodland biomes that have arisen in response to a cooling and drying trend within the past ~3 million years. It is expected that organisms well adapted to these conditions have expanded into available habitats, leading to the differentiation of populations and species across this landscape, a process that could be magnified by the presence of several biogeographic barriers. The broad-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra (L.) L.) complex is one such group of plants, with 14 poorly morphologically differentiated species occupying large overlapping distributions across the region, and across several recognised biogeographic barriers. Using phylogenetic and network analyses of nuclear and plastid sequences, we tested species limits among currently described species within the complex and for phylogeographic structure within species across seven of these barriers. Overall, our data suggested patterns of differentiation among species consistent with the early to middle stages of incomplete lineage sorting, and evidence for an idiosyncratic cryptic response of species to biogeographic barriers. Unexpectedly, we found a deep molecular split across all species, broadly coinciding with the northern part of the Great Dividing Range, a feature not typically considered to be a barrier to dispersal. Our study has offered one of the first insights into the dynamics within and among widespread species across the north of Australia, suggesting considerably more geographic structure than was previously recognised.
Related Organisations
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0665253
Start Date: 2006
End Date: 12-2009
Amount: $295,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP130101141
Start Date: 04-2013
End Date: 12-2016
Amount: $350,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityResearch Networks - Grant ID: RN0459908
Start Date: 12-2004
End Date: 09-2010
Amount: $2,500,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivitySpecial Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354582
Start Date: 2003
End Date: 12-2003
Amount: $20,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0985473
Start Date: 2009
End Date: 12-2012
Amount: $280,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0343949
Start Date: 2003
End Date: 12-2005
Amount: $230,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989589
Start Date: 2009
End Date: 06-2009
Amount: $550,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP160100098
Start Date: 04-2016
End Date: 12-2019
Amount: $364,400.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity