Scientific Area
Abstract Detail
Nº613/1435 - Rampant hybridization in a tropical fern genus (Danaea, Marattiaceae)
Format: ORAL
Authors
Venni Keskiniva1, Samuli Lehtonen1, Weston Testo2, Hanna Tuomisto1,3
Affiliations
1 University of Turku, Turku, Finland
2 University of Vermont, Burlington, USA
3 Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Abstract
The amount of known hybrids has been observed to be lower in tropical than temperate ferns, but patterns of hybridization are poorly known in the tropics. We examined hybridization in the Neotropical eusporangiate fern genus Danaea (Marattiaceae) using a phylogenomic approach with single or low-copy nuclear and chloroplast loci. We found a relatively high rate of hybridization in Danaea, and suggest that the apparent paucity of hybrids in tropical ferns is due to an observation bias. We also show evidence that hybridization can function as both a diversifying and a homogenizing evolutionary force within the same genus. We found further evidence for the previously proposed low reproductive barriers in ferns, enabling hybridization between lineages separated possibly as far back as the Cretaceous.