Phylotranscriptomic analysis of flower color evolution in Petunieae

WHEELER, LUCAS C.; WALKER, JOSEPH F.; NG, JULIENNE; DEANNA, ROCÍO; DUNBAR-WALLIS, AMY; BACKES, ALICE; PEZZI, PEDRO H.; DE FREITAS, LORETA BRANDÃO; BARBOZA, GLORIA E.; MOYROUD, EDWIGE; SMITH, STACEY D.

Conferencia; SOL International Online Meeting; 2020

The Petunieae clade of Solanaceae is a culturally and economically important clade of plants with extensive floral diversity. Some of the genera, such as Petunia and Calibrachoa, are widely popular as ornamentals, due in part to their dramatic variation in floral coloration. Petunieae are native to Southern North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean where they grow in a diverse array of habitats including high and low deserts, tropical rain forests, coastal plains, tropical highlands, and sub-tropical wetlands. In addition to its floral diversity, the clade exhibits an assortment of other fascinating phenotypic shifts, such as transitions among life forms (trees, shrubs, herbs, and cushions). Currently, the internal relationships within the Petunieae clade are poorly-resolved as is the placement of the clade relative to the rest of the Solanaceae. This poses a challenge to understanding biogeographic and phenotypic evolution in the clade. Here we present a phylotranscriptomic analysis spanning 70 of the approximately 145 extant species, representing one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind. This phylogeny provides the groundwork for studying the phenotypic diversification of Petunieae over time and space.