title: Tramps, narrow endemics and morphologically cryptic species in the epiphyllous liverwort Diplasiolejeunea.
abstract: Diplasiolejeunea is a pantropical, epiphytic genus of leafy liverworts that occurs from the lowlands to more than 4000m altitude. Phylogenetic analyses of a molecular dataset consisting of three markers (nuclear ribosomal ITS region, plastidic trnL-F region and rbcL gene) and 122 accessions (plus two outgroups, Colura and Cololejeunea) indicate that the evolutionary diversity of Diplasiolejeunea is underestimated by current morphology-based classification. Four morphologically semi-cryptic species have been recovered. The molecular phylogenies support a deep split into a Neotropical and a Paleotropical clade, the latter structured into Australasian, Asian and Afromadacascan lineages. Presented results confirm the ranges of two pantropical species (D. cavifolia, D. rudolphiana), provide evidence for dispersal from the Neotropics into the Paleotropics, indicate speciation along altitudinal gradients and demonstrate extensive morphological homoplasy. We propose a revised supraspecific classification of Diplasiolejeunea into a predominantly Paleotropical subgenus Physolejeunea and predominantly Neotropical subgenera Austrolejeuneopsis and Diplasiolejeunea, the former containing mainly epiphytic species, the latter mainly epiphylls. Several clades are supported by combinations of morphological character states, and could be assigned to sections at some later point. This is the first comprehensive phylogeny of a largely epiphyllous genus of liverworts.
authors: Department of Systematic Botany, Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences, Georg August University, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Shanshan
authors: S
authors: Dong
authors: Alfons
authors: A
authors: Schäfer-Verwimp
authors: Philipp
authors: P
authors: Meinecke
authors: Kathrin
authors: K
authors: Feldberg
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Bombosch
authors: Tamás
authors: T
authors: Pócs
authors: Alexander R
authors: AR
authors: Schmidt
authors: Joachim
authors: J
authors: Reitner
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Schneider
authors: Jochen
authors: J
authors: Heinrichs
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D018742:DNA, Chloroplast / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D035926:Hepatophyta / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018742:DNA, Chloroplast; D018744:DNA, Plant; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer