INTRODUCTION: Plants undergo various natural changes that dramatically modify their genomes. One is polyploidization and the second is hybridization. Both are regarded as key factors in plant evolution and result in phenotypic differences in different plant organs. In Silene, we can find both examples in nature, and this genus has a seed shape diversity that has long been recognized as a valuable source of information for infrageneric classification. METHODS: Morphometric analysis is a statistical study of shape and size and their covariations with other variables. Traditionally, seed shape description was limited to an approximate comparison with geometric figures (rounded, globular, reniform, or heart-shaped). Seed shape quantification has been based on direct measurements, such as area, perimeter, length, and width, narrowing statistical analysis. We used seed images and processed them to obtain silhouettes. We performed geometric morphometric analyses, such as similarity to geometric models and elliptic Fourier analysis, to study the hybrid offspring of S. latifolia and S. dioica. RESULTS: We generated synthetic tetraploids of Silene latifolia and performed controlled crosses between diploid S. latifolia and Silene dioica to analyze seed morphology. After imaging capture and post-processing, statistical analysis revealed differences in seed size, but not in shape, between S. latifolia diploids and tetraploids, as well as some differences in shape among the parentals and hybrids. A detailed inspection using fluorescence microscopy allowed for the identification of shape differences in the cells of the seed coat. In the case of hybrids, differences were found in circularity and solidity. Overal seed shape is maternally regulated for both species, whereas cell shape cannot be associated with any of the sexes. DISCUSSION: Our results provide additional tools useful for the combination of morphology with genetics, ecology or taxonomy. Seed shape is a robust indicator that can be used as a complementary tool for the genetic and phylogenetic analyses of Silene hybrid populations.

• Keywords
• Morphometrics geometrics, Silene dioica, Silene latifolia, elliptical Fourier analysis, plant hybrid, polyploidy, seed shape, symmetry,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Juncaceae is a cosmopolitan family belonging to the cyperid clade of Poales together with Cyperaceae and Thurniaceae. These families have global economic and ethnobotanical significance and are often keystone species in wetlands around the world, with a widespread cosmopolitan distribution in temperate and arctic regions in both hemispheres. Currently, Juncaceae comprises more than 474 species in eight genera: Distichia, Juncus, Luzula, Marsippospermum, Oreojuncus, Oxychloë, Patosia and Rostkovia. The phylogeny of cyperids has not been studied before in a complex view based on most sequenced species from all three families. In this study, most sequenced regions from chloroplast (rbcL, trnL, trnL-trnF) and nuclear (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) genomes were employed from more than a thousand species of cyperids covering all infrageneric groups from their entire distributional range. We analyzed them by maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference to revise the phylogenetic relationships in Juncaceae and Cyperaceae. Our major results include the delimitation of the most problematic paraphyletic genus Juncus, in which six new genera are recognized and proposed to recover monophyly in this group: Juncus, Verojuncus, gen. nov., Juncinella, gen. et stat. nov., Alpinojuncus, gen. nov., Australojuncus, gen. nov., Boreojuncus, gen. nov. and Agathryon, gen. et stat. nov. For these genera, a new category, Juncus supragen. et stat. nov., was established. This new classification places most groups recognized within the formal Juncus clade into natural genera that are supported by morphological characters.

• Keywords
• Cyperaceae, Cyperids, Identification keys, Juncaceae, New genera, Phylogeny, Taxonomy, cpDNA, nDNA,
• MeSH
• Bayes Theorem MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Cyperaceae * genetics   MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Arctic Regions MeSH

The genus Viola (Violaceae) is among the 40-50 largest genera among angiosperms, yet its taxonomy has not been revised for nearly a century. In the most recent revision, by Wilhelm Becker in 1925, the then-known 400 species were distributed among 14 sections and numerous unranked groups. Here, we provide an updated, comprehensive classification of the genus, based on data from phylogeny, morphology, chromosome counts, and ploidy, and based on modern principles of monophyly. The revision is presented as an annotated global checklist of accepted species of Viola, an updated multigene phylogenetic network and an ITS phylogeny with denser taxon sampling, a brief summary of the taxonomic changes from Becker's classification and their justification, a morphological binary key to the accepted subgenera, sections and subsections, and an account of each infrageneric subdivision with justifications for delimitation and rank including a description, a list of apomorphies, molecular phylogenies where possible or relevant, a distribution map, and a list of included species. We distribute the 664 species accepted by us into 2 subgenera, 31 sections, and 20 subsections. We erect one new subgenus of Viola (subg. Neoandinium, a replacement name for the illegitimate subg. Andinium), six new sections (sect. Abyssinium, sect. Himalayum, sect. Melvio, sect. Nematocaulon, sect. Spathulidium, sect. Xanthidium), and seven new subsections (subsect. Australasiaticae, subsect. Bulbosae, subsect. Clausenianae, subsect. Cleistogamae, subsect. Dispares, subsect. Formosanae, subsect. Pseudorupestres). Evolution within the genus is discussed in light of biogeography, the fossil record, morphology, and particular traits. Viola is among very few temperate and widespread genera that originated in South America. The biggest identified knowledge gaps for Viola concern the South American taxa, for which basic knowledge from phylogeny, chromosome counts, and fossil data is virtually absent. Viola has also never been subject to comprehensive anatomical study. Studies into seed anatomy and morphology are required to understand the fossil record of the genus.

• Keywords
• Viola, Violaceae, fossils, monophyletic, morphology, nomenclature, phylogeny, polyploidy, taxonomic revision,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

The specialization of parasitic plants from the Orobanchaceae family to the heterotrophic lifestyle caused several morphological, physiological and molecular changes. One of the adaptations to the parasitic lifestyle is the production of a large number of the smallest seeds in world flora, also called "dust-seeds". Seeds of 34 holoparasitic species from the Cistanche, Orobanche, Phelipanche, and Phelypaea genera were collected in the Caucasus region (54 samples) and their fatty acid content and compositions analysed. Of these seeds, 28 were investigated for the first time, and 12 are endemic to the Caucasus (one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world). The influence of different hosts, populations, habitats, and climatic conditions on the fatty acid content and composition, as well as some connections of taxonomic classification are discussed. The fatty acid content in the species varied between 0.9 and 42.5%, and showed quantitative differences at generic and infrageneric levels, while displaying uniform fatty acid composition. Thirteen fatty acids were identified, of which nine were undescribed for Orobanchaceae. The fatty acid composition of the Orobanchaceae seeds represented a mixture of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (average 7.8%) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) (average 92.2%). The fatty acid content in the Orobanchaceae seeds was directly unrelated to taxonomy, while the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio supported the clear separation of the Orobanche and Phelipanche genera. Orobanchaceae seeds contained mainly linoleic and oleic acids, thus they could be a potential nutritional source of the unsaturated fatty acids. Additionally, the studies confirmed the hypothesis that the degree of seed oil fatty acid unsaturation increased in colder climatic conditions, especially for the Orobanche genus.

• Keywords
• Chemotaxonomy, Climatic conditions, Dust seeds, Fatty acid composition, Host, Nutritional properties, Orobancheae,
• MeSH
• Fatty Acids analysis   MeSH
• Nutritive Value MeSH
• Plant Oils MeSH
• Orobanchaceae * MeSH
• Orobanche * MeSH
• Seeds chemistry   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Fatty Acids MeSH
• Plant Oils MeSH

The Eurotiales is a relatively large order of Ascomycetes with members frequently having positive and negative impact on human activities. Species within this order gain attention from various research fields such as food, indoor and medical mycology and biotechnology. In this article we give an overview of families and genera present in the Eurotiales and introduce an updated subgeneric, sectional and series classification for Aspergillus and Penicillium. Finally, a comprehensive list of accepted species in the Eurotiales is given. The classification of the Eurotiales at family and genus level is traditionally based on phenotypic characters, and this classification has since been challenged using sequence-based approaches. Here, we re-evaluated the relationships between families and genera of the Eurotiales using a nine-gene sequence dataset. Based on this analysis, the new family Penicillaginaceae is introduced and four known families are accepted: Aspergillaceae, Elaphomycetaceae, Thermoascaceae and Trichocomaceae. The Eurotiales includes 28 genera: 15 genera are accommodated in the Aspergillaceae (Aspergillago, Aspergillus, Evansstolkia, Hamigera, Leiothecium, Monascus, Penicilliopsis, Penicillium, Phialomyces, Pseudohamigera, Pseudopenicillium, Sclerocleista, Warcupiella, Xerochrysium and Xeromyces), eight in the Trichocomaceae (Acidotalaromyces, Ascospirella, Dendrosphaera, Rasamsonia, Sagenomella, Talaromyces, Thermomyces, Trichocoma), two in the Thermoascaceae (Paecilomyces, Thermoascus) and one in the Penicillaginaceae (Penicillago). The classification of the Elaphomycetaceae was not part of this study, but according to literature two genera are present in this family (Elaphomyces and Pseudotulostoma). The use of an infrageneric classification system has a long tradition in Aspergillus and Penicillium. Most recent taxonomic studies focused on the sectional level, resulting in a well-established sectional classification in these genera. In contrast, a series classification in Aspergillus and Penicillium is often outdated or lacking, but is still relevant, e.g., the allocation of a species to a series can be highly predictive in what functional characters the species might have and might be useful when using a phenotype-based identification. The majority of the series in Aspergillus and Penicillium are invalidly described and here we introduce a new series classification. Using a phylogenetic approach, often supported by phenotypic, physiologic and/or extrolite data, Aspergillus is subdivided in six subgenera, 27 sections (five new) and 75 series (73 new, one new combination), and Penicillium in two subgenera, 32 sections (seven new) and 89 series (57 new, six new combinations). Correct identification of species belonging to the Eurotiales is difficult, but crucial, as the species name is the linking pin to information. Lists of accepted species are a helpful aid for researchers to obtain a correct identification using the current taxonomic schemes. In the most recent list from 2014, 339 Aspergillus, 354 Penicillium and 88 Talaromyces species were accepted. These numbers increased significantly, and the current list includes 446 Aspergillus (32 % increase), 483 Penicillium (36 % increase) and 171 Talaromyces (94 % increase) species, showing the large diversity and high interest in these genera. We expanded this list with all genera and species belonging to the Eurotiales (except those belonging to Elaphomycetaceae). The list includes 1 187 species, distributed over 27 genera, and contains MycoBank numbers, collection numbers of type and ex-type cultures, subgenus, section and series classification data, information on the mode of reproduction, and GenBank accession numbers of ITS, beta-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene sequences.

• Keywords
• Acidotalaromyces Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Acidotalaromyces lignorum (Stolk) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Ascospirella Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Ascospirella lutea (Zukal) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Aspergillus chaetosartoryae Hubka, Kocsubé & Houbraken, Classification, Evansstolkia Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Evansstolkia leycettana (H.C. Evans & Stolk) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Hamigera brevicompacta (H.Z. Kong) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Infrageneric classification, New combinations, series, New combinations, species, New genera, New names, New sections, New series, New taxa, Nomenclature, Paecilomyces lagunculariae (C. Ram) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillaginaceae Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago kabunica (Baghd.) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago mirabilis (Beliakova & Milko) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago moldavica (Milko & Beliakova) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phialomyces arenicola (Chalab.) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phialomyces humicoloides (Bills & Heredia) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phylogeny, Polythetic classes, Pseudohamigera Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Pseudohamigera striata (Raper & Fennell) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Talaromyces resinae (Z.T. Qi & H.Z. Kong) Houbraken & X.C. Wang, Talaromyces striatoconidius Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Taxonomic novelties: New family, Thermoascus verrucosus (Samson & Tansey) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Thermoascus yaguchii Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, in Aspergillus: sect. Bispori S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, in Aspergillus: ser. Acidohumorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Aspergillus: ser. Inflati (Stolk & Samson) Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: sect. Alfrediorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: ser. Adametziorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: ser. Alutacea (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Crypta Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Eremophila Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Formosana Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Griseola Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Inusitata Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Lasseniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Polypaecilum Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Raperorum S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, sect. Silvatici S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, sect. Vargarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Alliacei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ambigui Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Angustiporcata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Arxiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Atramentosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Aurantiobrunnei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Avenacei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Bertholletiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Biplani Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brevicompacta Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brevipedes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brunneouniseriati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Buchwaldiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Calidousti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Canini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Carbonarii Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cavernicolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cervini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Chevalierorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cinnamopurpurea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Circumdati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Clavigera Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Conjuncti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Copticolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Coremiiformes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Corylophila Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Costaricensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cremei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Crustacea (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Dalearum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Deflecti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Egyptiaci Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Erubescentia (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Estinogena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Euglauca Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fennelliarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Flavi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Flavipedes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fortuita Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fumigati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Funiculosi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Gallaica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Georgiensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Goetziorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Gracilenta Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Halophilici Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Herqueorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Heteromorphi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Hoeksiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Homomorphi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Idahoensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Implicati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Improvisa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Indica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Japonici Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Jiangxiensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kalimarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kiamaensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kitamyces Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Lapidosa (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Leporum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Leucocarpi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Livida Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Longicatenata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Macrosclerotiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Monodiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Multicolores Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Neoglabri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Neonivei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nidulantes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nigri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nivei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nodula Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nomiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Noonimiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ochraceorosei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Olivimuriarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Osmophila Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Paradoxa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Paxillorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Penicillioides Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Phoenicea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Pinetorum (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Polypaecilum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Pulvini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Quercetorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Raistrickiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ramigena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Restricti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Robsamsonia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Rolfsiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Roseopurpurea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Rubri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Salinarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Samsoniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Saturniformia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Scabrosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sclerotigena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sclerotiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sheariorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Simplicissima Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Soppiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sparsi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spathulati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spelaei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Speluncei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spinulosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Stellati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Steyniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sublectatica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sumatraensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Tamarindosolorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Teporium Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Terrei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thermomutati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thiersiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thomiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Unguium Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Unilaterales Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Usti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Verhageniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Versicolores Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Virgata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Viridinutantes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Vitricolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Wentiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Westlingiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Whitfieldiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Xerophili Houbraken & Frisvad, series Tularensia (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The ergot, genus Claviceps, comprises approximately 60 species of specialised ovarial grass parasites famous for the production of food toxins and pharmaceutics. Although the ergot has been known for centuries, its evolution have not been resolved yet. Our approach combining multilocus phylogeny, molecular dating and the study of ecological, morphological and metabolic features shows that Claviceps originated in South America in the Palaeocene on a common ancestor of BEP (subfamilies Bambusoideae, Ehrhartoideae, Pooideae) and PACMAD (subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Chloridoideae, Micrairoideae, Arundinoideae, Danthonioideae) grasses. Four clades described here as sections diverged during the Paleocene and Eocene. Since Claviceps are parasitic fungi with a close relationship with their host plants, their evolution is influenced by interactions with the new hosts, either by the spread to a new continent or the radiation of the host plants. Three of the sections possess very narrow host ranges and biogeographical distributions and have relatively low toxicity. On the contrary, the section Claviceps, comprising the rye ergot, C. purpurea, is unique in all aspects. Fungi in this section of North American origin have spread all over the world and infect grasses in all subfamilies as well as sedges, and it is the only section synthesising toxic ergopeptines and secalonic acids. The evolutionary success of the Claviceps section members can be explained by high toxin presence, serving as feeding deterrents and playing a role in their protective mutualism with host plants. Closely related taxa Neoclaviceps monostipa and Cepsiclava phalaridis were combined into the genus Aciculosporium.

• Keywords
• Alkaloids, Clavicipitaceae, Ergochromes, Host pathogens, Molecular dating, Multilocus phylogeny,
• MeSH
• Bayes Theorem MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Claviceps classification   MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• Genetic Loci MeSH
• Host Specificity MeSH
• Ergot Alkaloids biosynthesis   chemistry   MeSH
• Secondary Metabolism MeSH
• Geography MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• South America MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Ergot Alkaloids MeSH

Discerning relationships among species evolved by reticulate and/or polyploid evolution is not an easy task, although it is widely discussed. The economically important genus Curcuma (ca. 120 spp.; Zingiberaceae), broadly distributed in tropical SE Asia, is a particularly interesting example of a group of palaeopolyploid origin whose evolution is driven mainly by hybridization and polyploidization. Although a phylogeny and a new infrageneric classification of Curcuma, based on commonly used molecular markers (ITS and cpDNA), have recently been proposed, significant evolutionary questions remain unresolved. We applied a multilocus approach and a combination of modern analytical methods to this genus to distinguish causes of gene tree incongruence and to identify hybrids and their parental species. Five independent regions of nuclear DNA (DCS, GAPDH, GLOBOSA3, LEAFY, ITS) and four non-coding cpDNA regions (trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, psbA-trnH and matK), analysed as a single locus, were employed to construct a species tree and hybrid species trees using (*)BEAST and STEM-hy. Detection of hybridogenous species in the dataset was also conducted using the posterior predictive checking approach as implemented in JML. The resulting species tree outlines the relationships among major evolutionary lineages within Curcuma, which were previously unresolved or which conflicted depending upon whether they were based on ITS or cpDNA markers. Moreover, by using the additional markers in tests of plausible topologies of hybrid species trees for C. vamana, C. candida, C. roscoeana and C. myanmarensis suggested by previous molecular and morphological evidence, we found strong evidence that all the species except C. candida are of subgeneric hybrid origin.

• Keywords
• Curcuma myanmarensis, Curcuma roscoeana, Curcuma vamana, Hybrid species tree, Multilocus species tree, Nuclear low-copy genes,
• MeSH
• Curcuma genetics   MeSH
• DNA, Chloroplast genetics   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Hybridization, Genetic MeSH
• Evolution, Molecular MeSH
• Polyploidy MeSH
• Genes, Plant MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Asia MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Chloroplast MeSH

The sections Pennatae and Spadiceae were chosen to test the agreement of current infrageneric classifications of Psathyrella (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricales) with molecular phylogenetic data and to evaluate the systematic significance of relevant morphological characters. The ITS and partial LSU regions of nu-rDNA from 53 specimens representing 34 species of Psathyrella were sequenced and analysed with parsimony-based and model-based phylogenetic methods. According to our analyses, the sections Pennatae and Spadiceae are polyphyletic and distributed across the family Psathyrellaceae, which is divided into at least five major groups. The first one comprises most of the included Psathyrella species and, probably, the whole genus Coprinellus. The second group is made up of Psathyrella gossypina and P. delineata. The third clade consists of the genus Coprinopsis and includes Psathyrella aff. huronensis and P. marcescibilis. The fourth clade is composed of two sister groups, the subgenus Homophron and the genus Lacrymaria, and the fifth group represents the genus Parasola including Psathyrella conopilus. These results are in agreement with neither the current circumscription of the two subgenera, Psathyra and Psathyrella, nor with the pre-sent disposition of the Psathyrellaceae. Taxonomically important morphological characters in the genus Psathyrella show a high degree of homoplasy. Although these characters are useful for species delimitation, and in some cases for the circumscription of sections, they appear insufficient for a phylogenetically correct generic concept.

• MeSH
• Agaricales classification   cytology   genetics   MeSH
• DNA, Fungal genetics   MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer genetics   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal genetics   MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Fungal MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal MeSH

The use of insertion/deletion (indel) patterns from sequences of the trnL intron and trnL-F intergenic spacer (IGS) in finding plastid genome types of the genus Poa L. was studied. New sequences for 23 taxa ( P. alpina, P. badensis, P. bulbosa, P. crassipes, P. molinerii, P. annua, P. chaixii, P. granitica, P. pratensis, P. sibirica, P. remota, P. botryoides, P. cenisia, P. compressa, P. laxa, P. margilicola, P. media, P. nemoralis, P. palustris, P. pannonica, P. pirinica, P. riphaea, and P. sejuncta) and 18 previously published sequences, which represent 11 of the 13 sections listed for Poa in Flora Europaea, were investigated. Collections were made primarily in central Europe. Indel patterns, despite sampling less than 0.7% of the plastid genome, produced four taxa groupings that were congruent with the major divisions obtained in intensive, previously published restriction-site studies. Insertion/deletion events in the trnL intron and trnL-trnF IGS were in nearly all cases unique to a single pattern group and thus provided almost no information about relationships among these groups. Indels did, however, provide a meaningful infrageneric classification criterion for Poa. They can serve as useful tools in studying relationships within this genus.

• MeSH
• DNA Primers MeSH
• DNA, Plant genetics   MeSH
• Exons genetics   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Genome, Plant MeSH
• Introns * MeSH
• Consensus Sequence MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Plastids genetics   MeSH
• Poa classification   genetics   MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA Primers MeSH
• DNA, Plant MeSH