J Syst Evol ›› 2010, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6): 474-481.DOI: 10.1111/j.1759-6831.2010.00102.x

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Infrageneric relationships of Korean Viola based on eight chloroplast markers

Ki-Oug YOO* Su-Kil JANG   

  1. (Department of Biological Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Korea)
  • Received:2009-08-04 Published:2010-11-18

Abstract: Phylogeny and infrageneric relationships were reconstructed for Korean Viola (Violaceae) using eight chloroplast sequences: the atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer, the atpF-H intergenic spacer, the matK gene, the psbA-trnH intergenic spacer, the psbK-I intergenic spacer, the rpl16 intron, the rpoC1 exon 2, and the trnL-trnF regions. The combined analyses of the eight chloroplast regions suggest that sections Dischidium and Chamaemelanium are monophyletic, whereas section Nomimium is paraphyletic; sections Dischidium and Chamaemelanium form a clade with subsections Hypocarpae and Trigonocarpae of section Nomimium, but unresolved within the clade; two subsections (subsects. Bilobatae and Vaginatae) of section Nomimium form a clade and are placed between the stem and stemless species group; and subsection Patellares of section Nomimium is monophyletic, and Viola dissecta is diverged first in the clade with high support (BS = 100, PP = 100). Our present results support the subsectional grouping based on morphological characteristics, although discordance remained at the series level.

Key words: chloroplast DNA, infrageneric relationships, phylogeny, series, subsection, Viola.