In this study, the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences from three early diverged leptosporangiate ferns were completed and analyzed in order to understand the evolution of the genome of the fern lineages. The complete cp genome sequence of Osmunda cinnamomea (Osmundales) was 142,812 base pairs (bp). The cp genome structure was similar to that of eusporangiate ferns. The gene/intron losses that fr...

Food availability and diet selection are important factors influencing the abundance and distribution of wild waterbirds. In order to better understand changes in waterbird population, it is essential to figure out what they feed on. However, analyzing their diet could be difficult and inefficient using traditional methods such as microhistologic observation. Here, we addressed this gap of know...

Melilotus is an important genus of legume plants and an herbage with excellent nitrogen fixation; it can tolerate extreme environmental conditions and possesses important medicinal value. However, there is limited genetic information about the genus; thus, we analysed four chloroplast loci (rbcL, matK, psbA-trnH and trnL-F) and one nuclear region (ITS) to determine the genetic diversity of 199 ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The number of genera included in Apocynaceae subfamily Periplocoideae is a matter of debate. DNA sequences are used here as an independent dataset to clarify generic relationships and classification of the tuberous periplocoid genera and to address the question of the phylogenetic interpretation of pollinia formation in Schlechterella. METHODS Representatives of nearly all...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The genus Rosa (150-200 species) is widely distributed throughout temperate and sub-tropical habitats from the northern hemisphere to tropical Asia, with only one tropical African species. In order to better understand the evolution of roses, this study examines infrageneric relationships with respect to conventional taxonomy, considers the extent of allopolyploidization and...

Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and Lemna (duckweeds) are the only free-floating aquatic Araceae. The geographic origin and phylogenetic placement of these unrelated aroids present long-standing problems because of their highly modified reproductive structures and wide geographical distributions. We sampled chloroplast (trnL-trnF and rpl20-rps12 spacers, trnL intron) and mitochondrial sequenc...

Spliceosomal introns are pervasive in eukaryotes. Intron gains and losses have occurred throughout evolution, but the origin of new is unclear. Stwintrons complex intervening sequences where one sequence elements (5′-donor, lariat branch point element or 3′-acceptor) necessary for excision a U2 intron (external intron) itself interrupted by second (internal) intron. In Hypoxylaceae, family endo...

The Gnaphalieae are a group of sunflowers that have their greatest diversity in South America, Southern Africa, and Australia. The objective of this study was to reconstruct a phylogeny of the South African Gnaphalieae using sequence data from two noncoding chloroplast DNA sequences, the trnL intron and trnL/trnF intergenic spacer. Included in this investigation are the genera of the Gnaphaliea...

Cucurbitaceae contain c. 800 species in 130 genera and are among the economically most important families of plants. We inferred their phylogeny based on chloroplast DNA sequences from two genes, one intron, and two spacers (rbcL, matK, trnL, trnL-trnF, rpl20-rps12) obtained for 171 species in 123 genera. Molecular data weakly support the traditional subfamilies Cucurbitoideae (111 genera) and ...