| Abstract Detail
Empirical Approaches to Phylogenetic Comparative Methods in Plant Science Kraichak, Ekaphan [1], Lücking, Robert [1], Lumbsch, H. Thorsten [1]. A novel trait as a key innovation in a hyper diverse family of tropical lichens. With over 2,000 described species, Graphidaceae stands as one of the largest families of lichenized fungi. While predominantly crustose in the tropics, the family includes a number of extra tropical species and several unique morphological and anatomical characters. However, but the mechanisms by which the family attain this level of diversity is currently unknown. We employed various comparative methods to determine relative importance of tropical habitat and presence of columella – unique morphological character to the family – in promoting diversity of the family. The Binary State Speciation and Extinction (BiSSE) analysis reveals a significantly higher diversification rate in a lineage with columella. While a tropical lineage does not have a significantly higher rate than non-tropical lineage, but it also experience a significantly lower extinction rate. An analysis of correlated evolution also demonstrates a higher loss of columella in non tropical environment, as well as the reverse back to the tropics in the columellate lineages. A further analysis with MEDUSA (Modeling Evolutionary Diversity using Stepwise AIC) also identifies a shift of diversification rate in a clade with a lage number of columella species. Overall the results suggest the role of columella as a key innovation in the family and most likely a more important contributor to a high level of diversity in the family than the tropical habitat.
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1 - Field Museum of Natural History, Science and Education, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
Keywords:
diversification
BiSSE
MEDUSA
Trait Correlation
Key Innovation.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C1
Location: Summit/Boise Centre
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 5:00 PM
Number: C1014
Abstract ID:238
Candidate for Awards:None |
