Phylogenetics of the Parsley Ferns (Cryptogramma)

Jordan Metzgar and Steffi Ickert-Bond

Cryptogramma: the basics• 8-10 species

• 2 sections – sect. Cryptogramma

• 7-9 spp.

– sect. Homopteris • 1 sp. (C. stelleri)

• Mostly circumboreal– disjunct S. American taxon

Cryptogramma cascadensis Photo by Ed Alverson

Cryptogramma: the basics, cont.

• Stem erect to creeping

• Leaves dimorphic (erect fertile lvs)

• 1 vascular bundle

• False indusium

• trilete spores– n=30, 60

Cryptogramma acrostichoides, Turnagain Arm

Previous treatments

• Alverson (1989)- treated western N. American sect. Cryptogramma species; described C. cascadensis

• Zhang and Zhang (2003)– 2 Chinese species

• Vaganov (2007, 2010)– New Russian species and spore

morphology studyCryptogramma acrostichoides

Cryptogramma in Alaska

• Sect. Cryptogramma: 2 species– Acid rock outcrops, talus– Diploid C. acrostichoides– Tetraploid C. sitchensis

• C. acrostichoides x

C. raddeana

• Sect. Homopteris: C. stelleri– Limestone

Methods• 6 plastid loci; 7100 bp

– atpB-rbcL, rbcL, rbcL-accD, rps4, trnGR, trnP-petG

• Parsimony – 1000 replicates (PAUP)– 500 BS reps with 10 searches/ea (PAUP)

• Maximum likelihood – 100 reps, GTR (GARLi)– 1000 BS reps, GTRGAMMA (RaxML)

• Bayesian inference– 10 millon generations, 25% burn-in, (MrBayes)

Phylogenetic Conclusions

• Cryptogramma and sections monophyletic

• Confirmed role of C. acrostichoides in formation of C. sitchensis

• Is S. Am. C. crispa a different species?

• Did C. cascadensis form C. crispa s.s.?

Future directions

• Post-glacial migration– Samples from across range

• C. acrostichoides, C. sitchensis

– Nuclear GapCp marker– Locate refugia– Migration tempo

Future Directions, II• Ecological niche modeling

• Present day, future projections

• Couple with refugial study

C. acrostichoides ENM C. sitchensis ENM

Acknowledgments• Herbarium (Dave, Carolyn, Al, Monte,

Zack, Stephany)

• High school lab assistant Stephen Chen

• Funding sources: UAF, ASPT

Cryptogramma acrostichoides

Acknowledgments• Collectors: Ellen Anderson, Polly Bass, Curtis Bjork,

David Gernandt, Trevor Goward, Brad Krieckhaus, Li-Yaung Kuo, Juan Larraín, Manuel González Ledesma, Ken Marr, Emily Metzgar, Santiago Pajarón, Emilia Pangua, Carolyn Parker, Kathleen Pryer, Carl Rothfels,

Erin Sigel, Mary Stensvold,

Stacy Studebaker,

Andreas Tribsch, Peter Zika

Cryptogramma acrostichoidesPhoto by Ed Alverson