Keywords
palisota, morphology
Abstract
The plant genus Palisota (family Commelinaceae, or spiderwort family) consists of approximately 20 species and is distributed throughout the forests of tropical Africa. The genus exhibits several unusual morphological characteristics, and as a result has been difficult to classify based on morphology. Molecular phylogenetic studies have placed it near the base of Commelinaceae, but the exact placement of Palisota within the family is not clear. As the African continent has become more arid in recent geological times, the forests have receded, reducing the habitat for Palisota species and potentially impacting speciation and extinction rates within the genus. The goal of this study is to sequence the chloroplast-encoded gene rbcL in several additional species of Palisota and its relatives in order to: 1) determine the phylogenetic relationship of the genus with respect to other members of Commelinaceae; 2) evaluate phylogenentic relationships among species of Palisota; and 3) infer relative speciation/extinction rates within the genus. Additionally, we are exploring the use of other molecular regions for phylogenetic analysis with the genus.
ScholarWorks Citation
Zuiderveen, Grady H.; Evans, Timothy M.; and Faden, Robert B., "A Phylogenetic Analysis of the African Plant Genus Palisota (family Commelinaceae) based on Chloroplast DNA Sequences" (2011). Honors Projects. 65.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/65
