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First insights into fern matK phylogeny
Li-Yaung Kuo1, Fay-Wei Li, Wen-Liang Chiou
1Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Road, Sec. 4, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. salvinia@hotmail.com
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
|March 16, 2011
Summary
The maturase K (matK) gene, a popular marker for flowering plant evolution, is now shown to be highly effective for fern phylogeny. New primers enable matK amplification in ferns, resolving evolutionary relationships better than other markers.
Area of Science:
- Plant evolutionary biology
- Molecular phylogenetics
Background:
- The maturase K (matK) gene is a widely used phylogenetic marker in angiosperm (flowering plant) evolutionary studies.
- Its application in fern phylogeny has been limited due to amplification challenges caused by the loss of flanking trnK exons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop effective primers for amplifying the matK gene across all fern families.
- To evaluate the phylogenetic utility of matK in ferns by comparing it with established markers rbcL and atpA.
Main Methods:
- Development of universal and lineage-specific primers for matK amplification in ferns.
- Comparative analysis of sequence characteristics (variability, substitution evenness, homoplasy) of matK, rbcL, and atpA.
- Phylogenetic reconstruction using the matK gene to assess its resolution power in fern families.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed primers that amplify matK in all fern families.
- matK exhibits higher variability and substitution evenness, with less homoplasy compared to rbcL and atpA in ferns.
- Phylogenetic analyses using matK provided improved resolution of relationships among fern families, particularly within eupolypods I and II.
Conclusions:
- The matK gene is a powerful and reliable phylogenetic marker for fern evolutionary studies.
- The developed primers and sequence data will significantly aid future research on fern evolution.
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