Phylogenomics, systematics and flower evolution in Detarioideae
Detarioideae comprises one of the six subfamilies of the Leguminosae, comprising 81 genera and ca 760 species. The group is particularly diverse in Africa and Madagascar, where 58% of the genera and nearly 329 species are located in this geographic region. The group is also particularly diverse in floral morphology, displaying almost the entire floral arrangements observed in other legume lineages, including the most derived papilionoids and mimosoids. Despite this diversity, the group is poorly studied and their phylogenetics relationships are not fully resolved, especially at lower taxonomic levels (closely related genera).
One of the major limitations is the lack of enough fast evolving markers currently available on this group. Here, I am being involved in developing new genomic resources (transcriptomes) and nuclear markers (target enrichment) with the main goal to reconstruct a robust and better resolved phylogenetic framework. This will be utilized to improve the systematics and taxonomy of the group, as well as to further our understanding of flower evolution at the subfamily level.
One of the major limitations is the lack of enough fast evolving markers currently available on this group. Here, I am being involved in developing new genomic resources (transcriptomes) and nuclear markers (target enrichment) with the main goal to reconstruct a robust and better resolved phylogenetic framework. This will be utilized to improve the systematics and taxonomy of the group, as well as to further our understanding of flower evolution at the subfamily level.