PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN FOSSIL SPECIES OF NOTHOFAGUS BL. (NOTHOFAGACEAE)

VENTO, BARBARA; PRAMPARO, MERCEDES

Encuentro; Henning XXXV y XII Reunion Argentina de Cladistica y Biogeografia; 2016

Nothofagus is one of the most important genera of the Southern Hemisphere. Studies of the Late Oligocene-Miocene assemblages from Argentinean Patagonia suggest that Nothofagaceae were one of main components in the area. Early publications postulate the relationships of the fossil and living species of Nothofagus and a controversial origin of this family is still discussed. The purpose of this work is to study the phylogenetic relationships between fossil and living species of Nothofagus in South America. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis using morphological, anatomical and molecular data was performed. The matrix included seven fossil taxa and nine living species spread in Argentina and Chile. Twenty-four characters were coded and an scafold tree from a published source was used. A parsimony analysis was performed using the TNT program. The most parsimonius tree showed a close relationship between each fossil and their relatives living species. The retention index was 0.68 and the consistency index was 0.69. The phylogenetic relationships between living species did not change when fossil species were added in the scafold tree. The cladogram showed a close relationship between fossils and living species as follow: Nothofagus elongata and N. procera; N. variabilis and N. pumilio; N. suberruginea and N. alessandri; N. serrulata and N. nitida; N. simplicidens and N. dombeyi; N. dicksoni and N. crenulata with N. betuloides. The results herein, allow a better understanding and an approaching to clarify the phylogenetic relationships and positions between fossils and living species of the family Nothofagacea in South America.