Causes and consequences of plant diversification in the Greater Cape Floristic Region: an example of the neglected genus Pteronia (Asteraceae)
| Name: | Causes and consequences of plant diversification in the Greater Cape Floristic Region: an example of the neglected genus Pteronia (Asteraceae) |
|---|---|
| Researchers: |
Trávníček Pavel (researcher) Schmickl Roswitha (member in research team) Flašková Lenka (member in research team) Šemberová Kristýna (member in research team) Zeisek Vojtěch (member in research team) Chumová Zuzana (member in research team) |
| Provider: | Grantová agentura ČR |
| Number: | 19-20049S |
| Realization from: | 2019 |
| Realization to: | 2022 |
| Summary: | The evolutionary radiations in global biodiversity hot-spots have been of great interest of evolutionary biologists for a long time. Nevertheless, processes triggering the proliferation of taxa in particular clades are still not sufficiently understood. The project aims at investigating the role of genome-wide processes (whole genome duplication, genome size evolution) and ecological speciation (potential shifts in environmental niche space) in the most species rich family in the Cape flora, Asteraceae. Using a combination of state-of-the-art methodological approaches (Hyb-Seq, cytogenomics, flow cytometry, niche modelling) we will build a robust phylogeny, assess variation in nuclear genome size and the processes behind, identify frequency of polyploids, and characterize ecological niches of one of the species-richest Asteraceae genus in the Cape, Pteronia. Cross-disciplinary data integration will provide a new level of understanding of the evolutionary drivers generating the biological diversity in one of the species-richest plant family in the Cape, as well as on Earth. |