pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Defying death: incorporating fossils into the phylogeny of the complex thalloid liverworts (Marchantiidae, Marchantiophyta) confirms high order clades but reveals discrepancies in family-level relationships - PubMed

. 2021 Jun;37(3):231-247.

doi: 10.1111/cla.12442. Epub 2020 Nov 9.

Affiliations

Free article

Defying death: incorporating fossils into the phylogeny of the complex thalloid liverworts (Marchantiidae, Marchantiophyta) confirms high order clades but reveals discrepancies in family-level relationships

Jorge R Flores et al. Cladistics. 2021 Jun.

Free article

Abstract

In recent years, the use of extensive molecular and morphological datasets has clarified the phylogenetic relationships among the orders of complex thalloid liverworts (Marchantiidae). However, previous studies excluded extinct taxa; thereby, undersampling the actual taxonomic diversity of the group. Here, we conducted a total-evidence analysis of Marchantiidae incorporating fossils. The combined dataset consisted of 11 genes-sampled from the nuclear, mitochondrial and plastid genomes-and 128 morphological characters. Sixty-two species, representing all classes and orders within Marchantiophyta and genera within Marchantiidae were included in the analyses. Six fossils were scored from literature: two assigned to the outgroup (Metzgeriothallus sharonae and Pallaviciniites sandaolingensis) and four to the ingroup (Marchantites cyathodoides, M. huolinhensis, Ricciopsis ferganica and R. sandaolingensis). Tree searches were conducted using parsimony as the optimality criterion. Clade sensitivity was assessed across a wide range of weighting regimes. Also, we evaluated the influence of fossils on the inferred topologies and branch support. Our results were congruent with previously inferred clades above the order level: Neohodgsoniales was sister to a clade formed by Sphaerocarpales and Marchantiales. However, relationships among families within Marchantiales contradicted recent studies. For instance, a clade consisting of Monosoleniaceae, Wiesnerellaceae and Targioniaceae was sister to the morphologically simple taxa instead of being nested within them as in previous studies. Novel synapomorphies were found for several clades within Marchantiales. Outgroup fossils were more influential than Marchantiidae fossils on overall topologies and branch support values. Except for a single weighting scheme, sampling continuous characters and down-weighting characters improved fossil stability. Ultimately, our results challenge the widespread notion that bryophyte fossils are problematic for phylogenetic inference.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2020.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Anderson, H. 1976. A review of the Bryophyta from the upper Triassic Molteno Formation, Karoo Basin, South Africa. Palaeontol. Afr. 30, 21-30.
    1. Atkinson, B. 2018. The critical role of fossils in inferring deep-node phylogenetic relationships and macroevolutionary patterns in Cornales. Am. J. Bot. 105, 1-11.
    1. Bell, D., Lin, Q., Gerelle, W.K., Joya, S., Chang, Y., Taylor, Z.N., Rothfels, C.J., Larsson, A., Villarreal, J.C., Li, F.W., Pokorny, L., Szövényi, P., Crandall-Stotler, B.J., DeGironimo, L., Floyd, S.K., Beerling, D.J., Deyholos, M.K., von Konrat, M., Ellis, S., Shaw, A.J., Chen, T., Wong, G.K.S., Stevenson, D.W., Palmer, J.D. and Graham, S.W., 2020. Organellomic data sets confirm a cryptic consensus on (unrooted) land-plant relationships and provide new insights into bryophyte molecular evolution. Am. J. Bot. 107, 91-115.
    1. Benton, M.J., 1995. Diversification and extinction in the history of life. Science 268, 52-58.
    1. Bippus, A.C., Escapa, I.H. and Tomescu, A.M.F., 2018. Wanted dead or alive (probably dead): stem group Polytrichaceae. Am. J. Bot. 105, 1-21.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources