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Molecular phylogenetic relationships of the Andean genus Aylostera Speg. (Cactaceae, Trichocereeae), a new classification and a morphological identification key

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Abstract

The Andes represent a hotspot of diversity within Cactaceae. Owing to its small globular growth and its diverse flower colours the Andean genus Aylostera Speg. has drawn the attention of many cactus enthusiasts. Based on molecular data, the genus was recently split from Rebutia s.l. In contrast to the large number of taxa described within Aylostera, a comprehensive phylogenetic reconstruction is still warranted. The aim of our study was to reconstruct a phylogeny of Aylostera and to review its taxonomy based on morphological characters. We sequenced the chloroplast DNA markers atpB-rbcL and trnS-trnG intergenic spacers and scored amplified fragment lengths polymorphisms (AFLPs). We reconstructed phylogenetic trees and analysed results of AFLP neighbour-nets, Bayesian clustering and Principal Coordinate Analysis based on this genetic data. Our data demonstrated that Aylostera is monophyletic and is best recognized as a separate genus because it is only distantly related to the clade containing the type species of Rebutia. Within Aylostera we detected three clades—the Digitorebutia clade, the Aylostera sensu stricto clade and the A. einsteinii clade—which are characterized by unique combinations of morphological character states. The species composition of these clades was largely congruent between the molecular markers but AFLP data indicated some admixture. Based on genetic and morphological characters, we propose a new classification of Aylostera and present a key to species recognizing nine species.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the following: R. Märtin (Jena, Germany), K. Meißner (Dresden, Germany) and U. Eggli (Sukkulentensammlung Zürich, Switzerland, ZSS) for providing plant material; H. Krufzik, E. Schirmeier (Justus Liebig University Gießen, Germany), M. Schwager (Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Germany) and the colleagues of the laboratory at the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt/Main (BiK-F) for excellent technical support; V. Wissemann (Justus Liebig University Gießen, Germany) for the opportunity to work in his lab; A. Allspach, S. Dressler and R. Döring (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/Main, Germany) for their help in incorporating the plant samples into the spirit collection of the Herbarium Senckenbergianum Frankfurt (FR). We thank U. Eggli and R. Kiesling (Argentina, Mendoza, CCT-CONICET) for their help with nomenclatural questions and all members of the Studiengemeinschaft Südamerikanische Kakteen e.V. for the financial support of this study and for fruitful discussions on the manuscript, especially checking the key to species based on their own plant material. We thank J. C. Hutchinson, K. Wesche (Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Germany) and the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02628, Görlitz, Germany

    Christiane M. Ritz

  2. Studiengemeinschaft Südamerikanische Kakteen e.V., Treeneblick 11, 24852, Langstedt, Germany

    Karl Fickenscher, Rainer Mecklenburg & Rainer Wahl

  3. Department of Systematic Botany, Justus Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 38, 35392, Gießen, Germany

    Jens Föller

  4. Department Genebank, Experimental Taxonomy, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Correnstraße 3, 06466, Seeland, Germany

    Katja Herrmann

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  1. Christiane M. Ritz
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Correspondence to Christiane M. Ritz.

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Online Resource 1. Complete list of accessions analysed

Online Resource 2. Alignment of the combined cp markers: trnS-trnG IGS and atpB-rbcL IGS

Online Resource 3. AFLP scoring table

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Ritz, C.M., Fickenscher, K., Föller, J. et al. Molecular phylogenetic relationships of the Andean genus Aylostera Speg. (Cactaceae, Trichocereeae), a new classification and a morphological identification key. Plant Syst Evol 302, 763–780 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-016-1296-4

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