Molecular phylogeny of the subtribe Melinidinae (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) and evolutionary trends in the homogenization of inflorescences

SALARIATO D. L. ZULOAGA F O, GIUSSANI L. M. AND MORRONE O

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Año: 2010 vol. 56 p. 355 - 369

1055-7903

The subtribe Melinidinae (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) includes 14 genera that present the PCK photosyntheticsubtype in addition to several other unique and also common characters. The purpose of thisresearch was (1) to test the monophyly of the subtribe Melinidinae, including 331 ndhF sequences of Panicoidsand related genera, (2) to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among genera of Melinidinaeusing four cpDNA regions, and (3) to study evolutionary trends in the homogenization of inflorescences.As a result, the monophyly of Melinidinae is supported if Urochloa venosa is excluded from the subtribe.Alloteropsis semialata subsp. semialata, an unusual PCK species, is here confirmed within the Forest shadeclade. Within Melinidinae, Urochloa and Eriochloa appeared as paraphyletic and polyphyletic genera,respectively. Finally, the general trend in the evolution of the inflorescences in Melinidinae seems tobe the reduction from non-homogenized to complete homogenized inflorescences.