A mega-phylogeny of the Annonaceae: taxonomic placement of five enigmatic genera and support for a new tribe, Phoenicantheae

Abstract

The Annonaceae, the largest family in the early-divergent order Magnoliales, comprises 107 genera and c. 2,400 species. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies targeting different taxa have generated large quantities of partially overlapping DNA sequence data for many species, although a large-scale phylogeny based on the maximum number of representatives has never been reconstructed. We use a supermatrix of eight chloroplast markers (rbcL, matK, ndhF, psbA-trnH, trnL-F, atpB-rbcL, trnS-G and ycf1) to reconstruct the most comprehensive tree to date, including 705 species (29%) from 105 genera (98%). This provides novel insights into the relationships of five enigmatic genera (Bocagea, Boutiquea, Cardiopetalum, Duckeanthus and Phoenicanthus). Fifteen main clades are retrieved in subfamilies Annonoideae and Malmeoideae collectively, 14 of which correspond with currently recognised tribes. Phoenicanthus cannot be accommodated in any existing tribe, however: it is retrieved as sister to a clade comprising the tribes Dendrokingstonieae, Monocarpieae and Miliuseae, and we therefore validate a new tribe, Phoenicantheae. Our results provide strong support for many previously recognised groups, but also indicate non-monophyly of several genera (Desmopsis, Friesodielsia, Klarobelia, Oxandra, Piptostigma and Stenanona). The relationships of these non-monophyletic genera—and two other genera (Froesiodendron and Melodorum) not yet sampled—are discussed, with recommendations for future research.

Which frugivory‐related traits facilitated historical long‐distance dispersal in the custard apple family (Annonaceae)?

“…For example, among‐lineage and through‐time rate heterogeneity (Couvreur et al., ; Massoni, Couvreur, & Sauquet, ) was not taken into account, and analyses could be improved by including fossils directly in the inference, especially to account for, or estimate, extinction. Our phylogenetic reconstructions show that lineages of major Annonaceae clades are inferred to be slightly older than those obtained in previous studies (Couvreur et al., ; Su & Saunders, ; but see, Massoni, Couvreur, et al., ), although 95% HPDs overlap, and phylogenetic relationships are similar to previous results (Chatrou et al., ; Guo, Tang, et al., ). The reason for these older ages is likely our use of uniform (as compared to lognormal) distributions for the calibration priors (Sauquet et al., ).…”

“…We test these hypotheses in the custard apple family (Annonaceae, Magnoliales), a major vertebrate‐dispersed, globally distributed plant family, typically confined to the rain forest biome (Keßler, ). Annonaceae comprises c. 2,400 species and has been well‐studied from phylogenetic (Chatrou et al., ; Guo, Tang, Thomas, Couvreur, & Saunders, ), evolutionary (Couvreur et al., ; Pirie, Maas, Wilschut, Melchers‐Sharrott, & Chatrou, ) and biogeographical (Couvreur et al., ; Doyle, Sauquet, Scharaschkin, & Le Thomas, ; Thomas et al., ; Zhou, Su, Thomas, & Saunders, ) points of view. Furthermore, almost all Annonaceae species are dispersed by animals, ranging from birds, bats, primates, small‐bodied mammals (e.g., rodents), and, in some cases, fish (Keßler, ).…”

Phylogenetics of Annona cherimola (Annonaceae) and some of its closest relatives

“…Different palynological and morphological studies have been conducted in the Annonaceae (Doyle & Le Thomas, , ) which have been highly informative for classifying the different groups in this family (Doyle & Le Thomas, ). More recently, molecular phylogenetic studies mainly using plastid regions ( rbcL, matK, ndhF, trnL, trnT‐L, trnL‐F, trnS‐G, atpB‐rbcL, trnH‐psbA, ycf1, rpl32‐trnL, or ndhF‐rpl32 ) have provided valuable information on specific and general aspects of the Annonaceae (Mols et al, ; Richardson et al, ; Pirie et al, ; Chatrou et al, ; Erkens et al, ; Thomas et al, ; Chaowasku et al, ; Larranaga & Hormaza, ; Tang et al, ; Guo et al, ; Hoekstra et al, ). Annona , described by Linnaeus () and further clarified by Safford (), includes approximately 162 species (Chatrou et al, ), distributed mainly in the Neotropics, with a few species native to Africa.…”

Two new species and two new records of Artabotrys (Annonaceae) from Thailand

“…is one of the largest palaeotropical genera in the Annonaceae, with ca. 105 species (Guo et al 2017). The majority of the species occur in Asia, with only ca.…”