Phylogenetic analysis of fossil flowers using an angiosperm‐wide data set: proof‐of‐concept and challenges ahead

Schönenberger, Jürg; Balthazar, Maria von; Martínez, Andrea López; Albert, Béatrice; Prieu, Charlotte; Magallón, Susana; Sauquet, Hervé

doi:10.1002/ajb2.1538

Cited by 27 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Our morphological matrix contained 32% of morphological characters missing, including inapplicable characters, but we did not detect any suspicious patterns of fossil attachment to extant species with high or low proportions of missing morphological data. Despite the considerable expansion of our taxonomic sampling of extant species (~50%), compared to our previous study (Schönenberger et al 2020), we obtained equivalent levels of uncertainty in the placement of fossils. This indicates that future increase in taxon sampling is unlikely to resolve the phylogenetic position of several fossil flowers.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 57%

“…[NNNN] University Press. Eklund et al 2004;Schönenberger et al 2020 Table 2. List of phylogenetic analyses conducted in this study.…”

Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The systematic assignment of fossil flowers has so far mainly relied on extensive morphological investigations and on the identification of apomorphies shared with living taxa (e.g., Drinnan et al 1990; Magallón et al 2001; von Balthazar et al 2005). Studies that identify or corroborate systematic hypotheses of fossil flowers using phylogenetic methods are scarce (e.g., Keller et al 1996; Gandolfo et al 2002; Magallón 2007; Doyle and Endress 2010, 2014; Lee et al 2013; Martínez et al 2016; Schönenberger et al 2020). Most of these analyses investigate the position of individual fossil flowers by focusing on a specific subclade of angiosperms (i.e., an order, a family, or a genus), which has been defined a priori based on comparative morphology and taxonomic expertise (e.g., Hermsen et al 2003; Mendes et al 2014; Martínez et al 2016).…”

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating Fossil Flowers into the Angiosperm Phylogeny using a Total Evidence Approach

Lopez-Martinez

Schönenberger

Balthazar

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Fossil flowers are essential to infer past angiosperm evolutionary processes. The assignment of fossil flowers to extant clades has traditionally relied on morphological similarity and on apomorphies shared with extant taxa. The use of explicit phylogenetic analyses to establish their affinity has so far remained limited. In this study, we built a comprehensive framework to investigate the phylogenetic placement of 24 exceptionally preserved fossil flowers. For this, we assembled a new species-level dataset of 30 floral traits for 1201 extant species that were sampled to represent the stem and crown nodes of all angiosperm families. We explored multiple analytical approaches to integrate the fossils into the phylogeny, including different phylogenetic estimation methods, topological-constrained analyses, and a total evidence approach combining molecular and morphological data of extant and fossil species. Our results were widely consistent across approaches, with minor differences in the support of fossils at different phylogenetic positions. The placement of some fossils is in agreement with previously suggested relationships, but for others, a new placement is indicated. We also identified fossils that are well constrained within particular extant families, whereas others showed high phylogenetic uncertainty. Finally, we present recommendations for future total evidence analyses, regarding the selection of fossils and appropriate methodologies, and provide some perspectives on how to integrate fossils into the investigation of divergence times and the temporal evolution of morphological traits.

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Section: )mentioning

confidence: 57%

“…[NNNN] University Press. Eklund et al 2004;Schönenberger et al 2020 Table 2. List of phylogenetic analyses conducted in this study.…”

Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating Fossil Flowers into the Angiosperm Phylogeny using a Total Evidence Approach

Lopez-Martinez

Schönenberger

Balthazar

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In order to test our systematic assignment of the Cretaceous fruits to Cunoniaceae, we analyzed them via the phyloscan method (Sch€ onenberger et al, 2020), which uses a comprehensive angiosperm floral character matrix with a molecular backbone to assess the most parsimonious position(s) of fossil flowers across the angiosperm phylogeny. This method allows us to quickly assess phylogenetic affinities of the fossils and to easily exclude angiosperm clades that may have similar (helicopter-like) fruits but a different floral plan.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending beyond Gondwana: Cretaceous Cunoniaceae from western North America

2022

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Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere. Many of these flowering plants are considered Paleo-Antarctic Rainforest Lineages that had a Gondwanan distribution since the Paleocene. Fossils of several modern genera within the family, such as Ceratopetalum, have indicated biogeographical connections between South America and Australia in the Cenozoic.Here, we report a dramatic geographical range extension for Ceratopetalum, and Cunoniaceae as a whole, based on two exceptionally preserved fossil winged fruits from Campanian (c. 82-80 Ma old) deposits on Sucia Island, Washington, USA. The fossils were studied using physical sectioning, light microscopy, micro-computed tomography scanning and multiple phylogenetic analyses.The fossil fruits share diagnostic characters with Ceratopetalum such as the presence of four to five persistent calyx lobes, a prominent nectary disk, persistent stamens, a semi-inferior ovary and two persistent styles. Based on morphological comparisons with fruits of extant species and support from phylogenetic analyses, the fossils are assigned to a new species Ceratopetalum suciensis.These fossils are the first unequivocal evidence of crown Cunoniaceae from the Cretaceous of North America, indicating a more complicated biogeographical history for this important Gondwanan family.

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“…However, we decided, for the time being, to refrain from assigning C. multicarpellatus to Dilleniaceae or Dilleniales for two main reasons: first, a systematic assignment based on gynoecium characters alone would leave a high level of uncertainty, even if the observed combination of the special gynoecial features is rare among other angiosperms. The availability of only a few gynoecium characters makes it also impossible to include C. multicarpellatus into explicit and meaningful phylogenetic analyses based on an angiosperm-wide morphological data set (Schönenberger et al, 2020). Second, the special features mentioned above have apparently evolved convergently in various angiosperm lineages and are directly linked with the special developmental (architectural) challenges of forming a functional syncarpous gynoecium with many carpels (Endress, 2014).…”

Section: Potential Systematic Affinities and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multicarpellate fruit from Late Cretaceous sediments of South Bohemia, Czech Republic

Heřmanová¹,

Čepičková

Kvaček³

et al. 2022

Palaeontol Electron

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The gynoecium of most angiosperms consists of two or more united carpels and syncarpy is generally considered a key innovation. Multicarpellate-syncarpous gynoecia, i.e., with more than five united carpels, are overall rare, probably because of developmental and functional constraints. Based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (microCT), we here describe a new fossil taxon, Covidifructus multicarpellatus, from the Late Cretaceous (Late Turonian-Santonian) of Southern Bohemia (Czech Republic). The new fossil taxon is based on a single syncarpous gynoecium (an immature fruit) consisting of 10 carpels, each containing a single seed; no other floral organs are preserved. The gynoecium morphology of C. multicarpellatus is highly complex and involves an enclosed, undifferentiated floral apex, an empty space in the centre of the ovary formed by the postgenital union of the distal parts of the carpels, an irregular apical closure of the ovary, and possibly an extra-gynoecial compitum. Similar gynoecium morphologies have evolved convergently in various angiosperm lineages and are directly linked with the special developmental (architectural) challenges of forming a functional syncarpous gynoecium with many carpels. Among extant angiosperms, C. multicarpellatus is most similar to Dillenia (Dilleniaceae). However, a systematic assignment based on gynoecium characters alone would involve a high level of uncertainty, even if the gynoecial features of C. multicarpellatus are rare among other angiosperms.

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Phylogenetic analysis of fossil flowers using an angiosperm‐wide data set: proof‐of‐concept and challenges ahead

Cited by 27 publications

References 93 publications

Integrating Fossil Flowers into the Angiosperm Phylogeny using a Total Evidence Approach

Integrating Fossil Flowers into the Angiosperm Phylogeny using a Total Evidence Approach

Extending beyond Gondwana: Cretaceous Cunoniaceae from western North America

A multicarpellate fruit from Late Cretaceous sediments of South Bohemia, Czech Republic

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