Eurasian - North American disjunctive distribution of the genus Allium. Origin and historic biogeography of the subgenera Amerallium and Anguinum

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Nikolai Friesen
• Subject Area: Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi
• Term: from 2010 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 167261339

• Final Report Year: 2015

Final Report Abstract

The project is focused on phylogeography, phylogeny and systematics of taxa of the onion genus Allium (family Alliaceae) with disjunctive distributions in the northern hemisphere. A detailed molecular phylogeny of subgenera Amerallium (with main focus on Eurasian species) and Anguinum, including data on distribution, ecology, chromosome numbers and morphology were used to reconstruct the phylogeography and the origin of Eurasian and North American disjunctive distributions in the genus Allium. On the basis of multiple gene analyses of nuclear- (ITS and ETS) and cpDNA (trnL-trnF, rps16, rbcL-atpB, rpl32-trnL) loci for taxa of the genus Allium (subgenera Anguinum and Amerallium), we have examine dated phylogenetic relationships, and patterns of speciation of the disjunctive taxa. Subgenus Amerallium: The nuclear markers clearly show two monophyletic clades (North American and Eurasian) as sister groups, and inside of the Eurasian also two monophyletic sister clades: Mediterranean and East Asian with no preference to relationships to American clade. Meanwhile the plastid markers show only one monophyletic clade, namely Mediterranean, whereas North American and East Asian taxa left unresolved. One species of subgenus Amerallium from Tibet A. kingdonii in both analyses is clearly placed in North American clade. This data support the suggestion that New World species of subgenus Amerallium are from a common ancestor in East Asia evolved. Subgenus Anguinum: A similar result is found also in the subgenus Anguinum: the only native to North America species Allium tricoccum has hybrid origin in North East Asia and ca. 2.5 Mya ago is distributed to North America thru Bering Street.

Publications

• Phylogeny and Biogeography of subgenus Amerallium (genus Allium). “Early Events in Monocot Evolution”, 20th – 22nd April 2010. A joint meeting of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Linnean Society of London
  Friesen N.
  
• Place of origin of the genus Allium: Key study of the subgenera Amerallium and Anguinum. 2nd Moscow International Conference Molecular Phylogenetics MolPhy-2. 2011. Moskow
  Friesen N.
  
• 2012. Allium ursinum L. in Germany – surprisingly low genetic variability. Feddes Repertorium 123, 1– 15
  Herden T., Neuffer B., Friesen N.
  
• Does the origin of the genus Allium lie in the ancient Mediterranean region? 21st International Symposium “Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology“ of the German Botanical Society (DBG) September 16th – 19th 2012. Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
  Friesen N.
  
• 2014. A new Allium species from section Mollium from Israel: A. akirense (Amaryllidacae). Phytotaxa 173(2): 140-148
  Friesen, Nikolai & Fragman-Sapir, Ori
  
• 2015. Allium canariense (Amaryllidaceae), a species endemic to the Canary Islands. Phytotaxa 221 (1):001-020
  Friesen, Nikolai; Herden, Tobias & Schoenfelder, Peter
  
• 2015. Phylogeny of Allium L. subgenus Anguinum (G.Don. ex W.D.J.Koch) N. Friesen (Amaryllidaceae). Elsevier Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution Volume 95, February 2016, Pages 79-93
  Herden, Tobias; Hanelt, Peter & Friesen, Nikolai