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Systematics and evolution of Carex sects. Spirostachyae and Elatae (Cyperaceae)

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Abstract

Carex sect. Spirostachyae comprises 25 species displaying the centre of diversity in Eurasia, while sect. Elatae comprises 22 species displaying the centre of diversity in tropical African mountainous regions. Phylogenetic analysis of the 136 ITS and 108 5′trnK intron sequences of 23 species of sect. Spirostachyae and 20 species of sect. Elatae revealed that neither section is monophyletic. With the exclusion of C. montis-eeka (sect. Spirostachyae) and C. insularis, C. iynx and C. longibrachiata (sect. Elatae), the sects. Spirostachyae and Elatae constitute a monophyletic group of 38 species, 22 of which were previously included in sect. Spirostachyae and 16 of which were in sect. Elatae (considering C. thomasii as C. mannii ssp. thomasii). Two main groups with different edaphic preferences were identified in the core Spirostachyae, in congruence with some morphological features. One group comprises primarily acidophilus species including 11 species of sect. Spirostachyae and 16 species of sect. Elatae. The other group includes 11 basophilic species of sect. Spirostachyae. Incongruence between nuclear and plastid genomes was detected, suggesting hybridization or lineage sorting processes in the evolution of the core Spirostachyae.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the two anonymous reviewers and V. Valcárcel, P. Vargas, S. Martín-Bravo and M. Buide for critical comments; M. Míguez and F. Fernández for technical support; P. Jiménez, J.M. Marín, V. Valcárcel, J. Fernández, P. Piñero, S. Martín-Bravo, E. Narbona, R. Álvarez and P. Vargas for plant materials; the curators of the herbaria B, BISH, BR, C, CANB, CBG, CONC, E, EA, FHO, GOET, H, HO, HUH, IRAN, K, KMG, L, LD, LISC, M, MA, MB, MO, NBG, NSW, O, OFX, PRE, SIM, U, UPOS, UPS, US, VAL, W, WAG, WU for the material provided; and P.A. Goloboff and M. Arnedo for the help with some analyses. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (Project CGL2005-06017-C02-02/BOS) and the Andalusian Government (P06-RMM-4128).

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  1. Marcial Escudero

    Present address: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera km 1, 41013, Seville, Spain

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  1. Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km 1, 41013, Seville, Spain

    Marcial Escudero & Modesto Luceño

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Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 6.

Table 6 New taxonomic treatment proposed for section Spirostachyae (the infrasectional delimitation is indicated)
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Appendix 2 Nomenclatural proposals

Carex subsect. Elatae (Kük.) Luceño and M. Escudero, comb. nov.

= Carex sect. Elatae Kük. In: H.G.A.Engler (ed), Pflanzenr., IV, 20(38): 645–657 (1909), Basionymus.

Carex mannii ssp. friesiorum (Kük.) Luceño and M. Escudero, comb. nov.

= C. milbraediana var. friesiorum Kük. In: Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem, 85: 314 (1921), Basionymus.

Carex mannii ssp. thomasii (Nelmes) Luceño and M. Escudero, comb. nov.

= C. thomasii Nelmes. In: Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1938: 245 (1938), Basionymus.

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Escudero, M., Luceño, M. Systematics and evolution of Carex sects. Spirostachyae and Elatae (Cyperaceae). Plant Syst Evol 279, 163–189 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-009-0156-x

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