Phylogenetic Analysis of Mycoheterotrophic Flowering Plants
Summary
Mycoheterotrophic flowering plants are a specialised group of angiosperms that derive carbon and nutrients from symbiotic fungi rather than through photosynthesis. Phylogenetic studies have revealed multiple independent origins of mycoheterotrophy in diverse clades, including Thismiaceae, Triuridaceae and Burmanniaceae. Early efforts relied on morphology and a few plastid markers, but plastome reduction in achlorophyllous taxa necessitated the development of targeted enrichment and genome-skimming approaches. Integration of nuclear ribosomal DNA, mitochondrial sequences and fragmented plastid genomes now permits robust multi-locus analyses that resolve deep-branching relationships and timing of mycoheterotrophic transitions. These frameworks, paired with detailed floral and root-fungal interface studies, elucidate instances of convergence in perianth morphology and shifts in fungal specificity. Biogeographical reconstructions based on time-calibrated trees highlight centres of diversity in tropical Asia and Central America, informing conservation priorities for range-restricted and often endangered species.
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Phylogenetic Analysis of Mycoheterotrophic Flowering Plants publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogenetic analysis of mycoheterotrophic flowering plants across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Mycoheterotrophy: A nutritional mode in which plants obtain carbon and nutrients from fungi rather than through chlorophyll-based photosynthesis.
Plastome: The chloroplast genome, often highly reduced or degraded in non-photosynthetic plants, used as a source of phylogenetic characters.
Molecular phylogeny: Reconstruction of evolutionary relationships using DNA sequence data from one or more genetic loci.
References
- Thismia belumensis (Thismiaceae), a remarkable new species from The Royal Belum State Park, Gerik, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys (2021).
- Thismia domei and T. terengganuensis (Thismiaceae), two new species, and T. javanica, a new record from Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys (2019).
- Thismia ornata and T. coronata (Thismiaceae), two new species from Sarawak, Borneo. Willdenowia - Annals of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (2020).
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