Macroevolutionary insights into sedges ( <i>Carex</i> : Cyperaceae): The effects of rapid chromosome number evolution on lineage diversification

Changes in holocentric chromosome number due to fission and fusion have direct immediate effects on genome structure recombination rates. These, turn, may influence ecology evolutionary trajectories profoundly. Sedges of the genus Carex (Cyperaceae) comprise ca. 2000 species with chromosomes. The exhibits a phenomenal range (2n = 10 − 132) almost not polyploidy. In this study, we integrated most comprehensive cytogenetic phylogenetic data for sedges associated climatic morphological investigate hypothesis that high rates are selected when innovation is required, using evolution as proxy rate. We evaluated Ornstein–Uhlenbeck models infer shifts equilibrium selective regime. also tested relationship between diversification Our analyses demonstrate significant correlations morphology niche Carex. Nevertheless, amount chromosomal variation able explain very small. recognized large mean number, but significantly lower morphology. detected peak near intermediate combination, these point toward importance history work suggests effect rates, just reproductive isolation, be central sedges.