Niche expansion of polyploid cytotypes shaped the phylogeographical history of the Salix retusa complex in the European Alpine System.

Background And Aims: Alpine plants exhibit diverse postglacial recolonization patterns following the last glacial periods. Polyploidisation may have impacted these dynamics by introducing ecological and physiological novelties that facilitate adaptation to changing environments. However, consistent trends in the recolonization, niche optima and dynamics of polyploids and their related diploids remain elusive.

Effects of hybridization on chemical diversity and plant-insect herbivore interactions in Salix alba × fragilis.

Hybridization can create novel chemical traits and enhance plant adaptability to diverse environments. This study examined the effects of hybridization on chemical diversity and ecological interactions in Salix alba × fragilis hybrids from the Elbe River basin (Czechia). We analysed leaf metabolites of hybrids and their parental species for concentration, richness, and structural α- and β-diversity, linking them to herbivorous insect assemblages and soil conditions.

Rapid loss of plastid genes in slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae, Orchidaceae).

Introduction: The eleven plastid genes encode for subunits of the (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like) complex, which mediates electron flow in photosystem I. The loss of genes in plants was observed in many different lineages of Viridiplantae. In lineages of Orchidaceae, the loss of genes was often associated with myco-heterotrophy.

Hybrid zones in the European Alps impact the phylogeography of alpine vicariant willow species ( L.).

Introduction: In the European Alps, Pleistocene climate oscillations resulted in geographical range expansions and restrictions of species. Postglacial recolonizations often result in secondary contact hybridization of vicariant species, thereby creating hybrid zones with patterns of introgression. Here, we compare the genetic structure of two secondary contact hybrid zones between two vicariant willow species pairs occurring in the European Alpine System.

Phylogenetic insights into the Salicaceae: The evolution of willows and beyond.

The Salicaceae includes approximately 54 genera and over 1,400 species with a cosmopolitan distribution. Members of the family are well-known for their diverse secondary plant metabolites, and they play crucial roles in tropical and temperate forest ecosystems. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Salicaceae has been historically challenging due to the limitations of molecular markers and the extensive history of hybridization and polyploidy within the family.

Challenge accepted: Evolutionary lineages versus taxonomic classification of North American shrub willows (Salix).

Premise: The huge diversity of Salix subgenus Chamaetia/Vetrix clade in North America and the lack of phylogenetic resolution within this clade has presented a difficult but fascinating challenge for taxonomists to resolve. Here we tested the existing taxonomic classification with molecular tools.

Methods: In this study, 132 samples representing 46 species from 22 described sections of shrub willows from the United States and Canada were analyzed and combined with 67 samples from Eurasia.

Species delimitation 4.0: integrative taxonomy meets artificial intelligence.

Although species are central units for biological research, recent findings in genomics are raising awareness that what we call species can be ill-founded entities due to solely morphology-based, regional species descriptions. This particularly applies to groups characterized by intricate evolutionary processes such as hybridization, polyploidy, or asexuality. Here, challenges of current integrative taxonomy (genetics/genomics + morphology + ecology, etc.

Contrasting levels of β-diversity and underlying phylogenetic trends indicate different paths to chemical diversity in highland and lowland willow species.

Diverse specialised metabolites contributed to the success of vascular plants in colonising most terrestrial habitats. Understanding how distinct aspects of chemical diversity arise through heterogeneous environmental pressures can help us understand the effects of abiotic and biotic stress on plant evolution and community assembly. We examined highland and lowland willow species within a phylogenetic framework to test for trends in their chemical α-diversity (richness) and β-diversity (variation among species sympatric in elevation).

Insights into the Taxonomically Challenging Hexaploid Alpine Shrub Willows of Sections and (Salicaceae).

The complex genomic composition of allopolyploid plants leads to morphologically diverse species. The traditional taxonomical treatment of the medium-sized, hexaploid shrub willows distributed in the Alps is difficult based on their variable morphological characters. In this study, RAD sequencing data, infrared-spectroscopy, and morphometric data are used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of the hexaploid species of the sections and in a phylogenetic framework of 45 Eurasian species.

Evolutionary origin and establishment of a dioecious diploid-tetraploid complex.

Polyploids recurrently emerge in angiosperms, but most polyploids are likely to go extinct before establishment due to minority cytotype exclusion, which may be specifically a constraint for dioecious plants. Here we test the hypothesis that a stable sex-determination system and spatial/ecological isolation facilitate the establishment of dioecious polyploids. We determined the ploidy levels of 351 individuals from 28 populations of the dioecious species Salix polyclona, and resequenced 190 individuals of S.

Evolution of a hybrid zone of two willow species ( L.) in the European Alps analyzed by RAD-seq and morphometrics.

Natural hybridization of plants can result in many outcomes with several evolutionary consequences, such as hybrid speciation and introgression. Natural hybrid zones can arise in mountain systems as a result of fluctuating climate during the exchange of glacial and interglacial periods, where species retract and expand their territories, resulting in secondary contacts. Willows are a large genus of woody plants with an immense capability of interspecific crossing.

Ancient DNA extraction methods for herbarium specimens: When is it worth the effort?

Premise: Herbaria harbor a tremendous number of plant specimens that are rarely used for molecular systematic studies, largely due to the difficulty in extracting sufficient amounts of high-quality DNA from the preserved plant material.

Methods: We compared the standard Qiagen DNeasy Plant Mini Kit and a specific protocol for extracting ancient DNA (aDNA) (the -phenacylthiazolium bromide and dithiothreitol [PTB-DTT] extraction method) from two different plant genera ( and ). The included herbarium materials covered about two centuries of plant collections.

Highly Diverse Shrub Willows ( L.) Share Highly Similar Plastomes.

Plastome phylogenomics is used in a broad range of studies where single markers do not bear enough information. Phylogenetic reconstruction in the genus is difficult due to the lack of informative characters and reticulate evolution. Here, we use a genome skimming approach to reconstruct 41 complete plastomes of 32 Eurasian and North American species representing different lineages, different ploidy levels, and separate geographic regions.

Chromosome-scale assembly of the genome of Salix dunnii reveals a male-heterogametic sex determination system on chromosome 7.

Sex determination systems in plants can involve either female or male heterogamety (ZW or XY, respectively). Here we used Illumina short reads, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long reads and Hi-C reads to assemble the first chromosome-scale genome of a female willow tree (Salix dunnii), and to predict genes using transcriptome sequences and available databases. The final genome sequence of 328 Mb in total was assembled in 29 scaffolds, and includes 31,501 predicted genes.

Phylogenomic Relationships and Evolution of Polyploid Salix Species Revealed by RAD Sequencing Data.

Polyploidy is common in the genus . However, little is known about the origin, parentage and genomic composition of polyploid species because of a lack of suitable molecular markers and analysis tools. We established a phylogenomic framework including species of all described sections of Eurasian shrub willows.

RAD-seq reveals genetic structure of the F-generation of natural willow hybrids (Salix L.) and a great potential for interspecific introgression.

Background: Hybridization of species with porous genomes can eventually lead to introgression via repeated backcrossing. The potential for introgression between species is reflected by the extent of segregation distortion in later generation hybrids. Here we studied a population of hybrids between Salix purpurea and S.

RAD sequencing resolved phylogenetic relationships in European shrub willows ( L. subg. and subg. ) and revealed multiple evolution of dwarf shrubs.

The large and diverse genus L. is of particular interest for decades of biological research. However, despite the morphological plasticity, the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships was so far hampered by the lack of informative molecular markers.

Ecological range shift in the polyploid members of the South American genus Fosterella (Bromeliaceae).

Background And Aims: The distribution of polyploidy along a relatively steep Andean elevation and climatic gradient is studied using the genus Fosterella L.B. Sm.