A Morphology-Based Cladistic Analysis of Digitaria (Poaceae, Panicoideae, Paniceae)

Abstract

A phylogenetic analysis was performed on 67 species of Digitaria belonging to four subgenera and 26 of the 32 sections recognized in Henrard's monograph. The analysis was based on 113 discrete and six continuous morphological characters. In the resulting topologies the genus Digitaria was monophyletic. In spite of the low support for most groupings, several clades were recovered. The subdivision of Digitaria in the four subgenera proposed by Henrard was not supported since the large subgenus Digitaria appears as a paraphyletic assemblage within which the other three subgenera are nested. Nevertheless, the monophyly of some of Henrard's sections was supported. This is the first approach to the phylogeny of Digitaria. Se llevó a cabo un análisis cladístico. Se incluyeron 67 especies de Digitaria pertenecientes a los 4 subgéneros y a 26 de las 32 secciones reconocidas en la monografía de Henrard. El análisis fue basado en 113 caracteres morfológicos discretos y 6 continuos En las topologías resultantes el género Digitaria resultó monofilético. A pesar del bajo soporte de la mayoría de los grupos, fueron recuperados varios clados. Los resultados no fueron consistentes con la subdivisión de Digitaria en 4 subgéneros propuesta por Henrard, ya que el extenso subgénero Digitaria aparece como un agregado parafilético dentro del cual se hallan anidados los otros tres subgéneros. Sin embargo, la monofilia de algunas secciones fue confirmada. El presente estudio constituye el primer análisis filogenético de Digitaria.

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Reproductive System and Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of Fonio Millets (Digitaria spp., Poaceae) with Some Polyploid Wild Relatives

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Dealing With Incompleteness: New Advances for the Use of Fossils in Phylogenetic Analysis

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