Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Chenopodiaceae
Summary
The Chenopodiaceae, now subsumed within Amaranthaceae sensu lato, encompass a diverse assemblage of salt‐tolerant herbs and shrubs adapted to arid and saline habitats worldwide. Molecular phylogenetic studies, leveraging plastid and nuclear DNA markers, have redefined generic boundaries, resolved deep tribal relationships and uncovered repeated instances of polyploidy and hybridisation. Biogeographical reconstructions indicate a palaeotropical origin in the Eocene, followed by successive radiations into temperate and arid zones. Centred on comparative analyses of complete plastid genomes and multilocus markers, recent work has traced dispersal routes across Eurasia, Africa and the Americas, emphasising the role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations in shaping intraspecific diversity. Insights into the timing of divergence events, ancestral area reconstructions and morphological character evolution have yielded a coherent framework for understanding lineage diversification, morphological innovation and the ecological success of this lineage in saline, semi‐desert and coastal ecosystems. These advances underpin conservation strategies for halophytic flora and facilitate the exploitation of stress‐tolerance traits in crop improvement.
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Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Chenopodiaceae publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of chenopodiaceae across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Plastid genome: The circular DNA of chloroplasts, used in phylogenetic studies for its conserved gene order and moderate mutation rate.
Simple sequence repeat (SSR): A short tandem microsatellite motif in DNA that serves as a highly polymorphic genetic marker.
Molecular phylogenetics: The inference of evolutionary relationships among organisms using comparative DNA sequence data.
Biogeography: The study of the spatial distribution of species and lineages over geological time and environmental gradients.
Molecular dating: The estimation of divergence times among lineages using sequence data calibrated with fossils or geological events.
References
- Complete Plastid Genome Sequences of Four Salsoleae s.l. Species: Comparative and Phylogenetic Analyses. Biomolecules (2024).
- Phylogenetic placement of the monotypic Baolia (Amaranthaceae s.l.) based on morphological and molecular evidence. BMC Plant Biology (2024).
- Characterization of the Plastid Genomes of Four Caroxylon Thunb. Species from Kazakhstan. Plants (2024).
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