Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Leaf venation topology modulates climate-soil-productivity pathways driving trait variation across China's vascular plants.","authors":"Xiaohong Chen, Yishu Yang, Tao Zhu, Jingwen Wang, Pengyu Lu, Le Zhang, Jie Gao, Yuchan Fan","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag134","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcag134","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Leaf venation networks are central to leaf water and nutrient transport, and differences in venation topology may impose long-term structural constraints on functional traits and resource-use strategies. Using a nationwide dataset of 30 047 vascular plant species in China, we compared trait differentiation between open- and closed-venation plants and quantified how climate, soil properties and ecosystem productivity (net primary productivity, NPP) contribute to trait spatial variation and its underlying pathways.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used Bayesian regression and piecewise structural equation modelling to compare climate-soil-NPP pathways underlying trait variation between open- and closed-venation plants, and applied generalized additive models to project future trait shifts under CMIP6 SSP scenarios.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Closed-venation plants exhibited significantly larger values for all four traits than open-venation plants (P < 0.001) and showed more consistent and direct trait-environment responses, consistent with a high-investment strategy in both growth and reproductive construction. In contrast, open-venation plants tended to have smaller traits and exhibited response pathways primarily mediated through indirect upstream effects, reflecting weak direct climate-trait coupling, indicative of a low-investment strategy. Climate emerged as the dominant driver of trait spatial variation, soil effects were intermediate, and NPP primarily acted as an indirect mediator. Projections under future climate scenarios suggested an overall increase in all four traits for closed-venation plants, whereas open-venation plants were predicted to increase vegetative traits but decrease reproductive traits.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Venation topology shapes broad-scale trait strategies, plausibly through variation in hydraulic capacity and venation network redundancy, and helps explain contrasting trait-environment relationships and projected responses to future climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"1080-1093"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595232/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147969703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When morphology stands still: constrained floral evolution in a mega-diverse legume genus.","authors":"Monique Maianne, Yago Barros-Souza, Fabio A Machado, Leonardo M Borges","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag147","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcag147","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Changes in floral morphology are key for the evolutionary success of flowering plants. However, many species-rich and ecologically diverse groups show low variation in floral traits. Low morphological variation may be associated with selective pressures and constraints to changes. Nonetheless, because our understanding of floral morphological evolution is focused on plant groups with diverse and specialized floral morphology, there has been little progress in identifying factors underlying floral morphological uniformity. Herein we addressed this issue by asking how the morphology of flowers in the mega-diverse legume genus Mimosa is shaped by constraints.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected floral morphological data across phylogenetically and geographically representative Mimosa species. By integrating morphology into an evolutionary framework, we quantified morphological diversity and tested whether morphological changes are better explained by neutral or adaptive evolutionary models. Then, we accessed evolutionary model parameters to evaluate the role of evolutionary constraints in limiting morphological changes across Mimosa floral whorls.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Our results showed that floral morphology is remarkably homogeneous and evolved under evolutionary constraints. Levels of morphological variation and evolutionary parameter estimates vary across floral whorls, indicating that constraint strength differs throughout the flower.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The homogeneous and evolutionarily constrained flowers of Mimosa are unlikely to have been primarily driven by pollinator-mediated selection. We hypothesized that the development and function of flowers in the mimosoid inflorescence constrained trait evolution in this mega-diverse yet morphologically uniform group.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"1035-1047"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595249/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148004280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring L-tyrosine and L-DOPA biosynthesis in faba bean (Vicia faba L.).","authors":"Xinxing Xia, Henryk Straube, Denise Blume, Davide Mancinotti, Bjørn Dueholm, Leandro Escobar-Herrera, Stig U Andersen, Fernando Geu-Flores, Hester Sheehan","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag287","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag287","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>L-DOPA is an important pharmaceutical that accumulates to high levels in the legume faba bean (Vicia faba). L-DOPA is likely derived from L-tyrosine but the responsible enzyme (L-tyrosine oxidase) remains unknown. Availability of L-tyrosine may be a key factor controlling L-DOPA accumulation. In legumes, L-tyrosine is supplied via either a plastidial TyrA enzyme (ADH) or a deregulated cytosolic homolog (PDH). This study aimed at identifying L-tyrosine oxidase and TyrA genes from faba bean.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used gene-to-metabolite correlations and homology-based searches to select fifteen L-tyrosine oxidase candidates, which were tested in yeast and in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. We also used isotopically labeled L-tyrosine to measure biosynthetic activity in different faba bean tissues and to test an alternative biosynthetic hypothesis. Three putative faba bean TyrA genes were inferred by homology and assayed in N. benthamiana by co-expression with a known L-tyrosine oxidase, CYP76AD6.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>None of the L-tyrosine oxidase candidates produced L-DOPA upon heterologous expression. Feeding experiments showed a lack of correlation between L-DOPA accumulation and biosynthetic capacity. Feeding studies also refuted an alternative route to L-DOPA by oxidation of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. Of the TyrA genes, two were able to increase L-tyrosine levels in N. benthamiana 2-3-fold (VfADH and VfPDH), and one of them was able to boost the levels of L-DOPA derivatives up to 6-fold (VfADH).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The faba bean L-tyrosine oxidase remains unidentified, with a hypothetical transport of L-DOPA across tissues possibly having confounded our correlation-based selection strategies. In N. benthamiana, both VfADH and VfPDH can increase the levels of L-tyrosine, while VfADH can further boost the levels of L-DOPA derivatives. Our work delivers a strategy to boost the provision of L-tyrosine in N. benthamiana and provides valuable insights in the search for the elusive L-tyrosine oxidase from faba bean.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing fundamental hypotheses of colonization success in the ferns.","authors":"Jessie A Pelosi, Agustina Yañez, Leah N Veldhuisen, Anthony J Dant, Poppy C Northing, Rebecca G W Bland, Weston L Testo, Katrina M Dlugosch","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag299","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Non-native species are now ubiquitous members of regional floras. The factors that lead to establishment and dominance of non-native species are continuously debated. Fundamental hypotheses about drivers of invasion success include the role of phylogeny, polyploidy, genome size, and rapid niche evolution. These hypotheses have been tested in the seed plants, but ferns, the second largest group of vascular plants, have rarely been considered in these analyses, despite making up a non-trivial portion of non-native floras.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We compiled a dataset of global non-native ferns and categorized them along the invasion spectrum using descriptions from the literature and natural history collections. Using this dataset, we assessed I) the taxonomic diversity and phylogenetic clustering of non-native ferns, II) the geographic distribution of fern introductions, testing for shifts in climatic niches, and III) test for the association of 'invader' traits across the invasion continuum, including smaller genome sizes and higher ploidal levels.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We generated a dataset that includes 93 taxa; of these, we classified 19 as casual, 43 as naturalized (but not invasive), and 31 as invasive. Using this dataset, we found I) weak or no phylogenetic clustering of non-native ferns, II) some regions are overrepresented as sources and recipients of documented introductions, III) in a set of well-documented invasive taxa, climatic niches are often conserved between native and introduced ranges, but can differ between introductions, IV) naturalized ferns may have smaller genomes, and V) invaders may have higher ploidal levels, though the analyses in IV and V are sensitive to cytotype treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We integrated regional floras, occurrence and climate data, phylogeny, and cytology to test fundamental hypotheses regarding the colonization success of ferns. This study provides insights into the ecological, genomic, and phylogenetic features associated with the colonization of new habitats by non-native ferns, a largely overlooked portion of non-native plant taxa.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamics of signalling and response in plants: the power and limitations of quantitative analysis.","authors":"Annalisa Bellandi, Christine Faulkner","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag297","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The study of dynamics in development and response to stimuli has fascinated experimentalist for hundreds of years. Recently, technical advancements have given the opportunity to observe dynamic signals in plants at the molecular level with unprecedent spatio-temporal resolution.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>In this review, we present a discussion of different analysis methods commonly used in plant science to study dynamic signals, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and illustrating what kind of information they reveal and how they can uncover enigmatic signal transmission mechanisms in plant biology. We focus on the dynamic signal calcium, as the diversity of tools available that report on in vivo measurements of calcium allows a thorough discussion of the different approached to signal quantification.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Methods of analysis of dynamic signals can reveal parameters defined by the molecular machineries that generate and propagate the signal, thus revealing these machineries. This paves the way to understand better the molecular mechanisms behind cellular, intercellular and systemic responses of plants. However, despite technical advances, not all methods of analysis reveal the same type of information. By knowing the strengths and limitations of each analysis method, we can leverage current advances in imaging to uncover key mechanistic information.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149015307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coordinated whole-plant responses involving tension wood formation in the hypocotyl base and directional reorientation of adventitious roots contributes to plant axis straightening in directionally displaced Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. seedlings.","authors":"Balasundari Dharbaranyam, U Sreebal, R Durgaswathi, Gayatri Venkataraman","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag302","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Mangrove seedlings establish in highly dynamic intertidal environments characterized by tidal inundation, salinity and unstable substrate, where early anchorage and upright orientation are critical for survival and light perception for growth. In crypto-viviparous mangrove Avicennia marina, the functional role of the hypocotyl during post-dispersal establishment remains poorly understood. This study examines the importance of the hypocotyl and the largest diameter adventitious root R1 in contributing to seedling uprightness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A. marina seedlings were grown under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Adventitious root (R1) was either retained and seedlings replanted vertically (control) or removed, and seedlings replanted at an angle (∼45°) in four cardinal directions. Morphological traits, hypocotyl curvature and root characteristics were quantified. Quantitative morpho-anatomical analyses of the hypocotyl base was carried out for xylem-organization using lignin-specific stains; starch localization and endodermal identity were determined using histochemical staining.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>During maternal pre-dispersal development, hypocotyl elongation correlated proportionally with seed mass, reflecting coordinated early ontogeny. Post-dispersal, directional displacement of seedlings induced localized radial thickening and gravitropic curvature at the hypocotyl base. Morpho-anatomical analyses assigned this curvature to increased tension wood formation and modified xylem architecture at the curvature upper end. A distinct starch sheath was consistently observed in the putative hypocotyl endodermis, with localized-variation in staining intensity under specific orientations. No compensatory quantitative changes in root architecture were observed upon mechanical ablation of root R1. However, remaining adventitious roots showed directional growth reorientation to counter to seedling inclination and restore mechanical stability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results demonstrate that restoration of vertical growth in A. marina seedlings upon displacement is achieved through coordinated whole-plant responses involving tension wood formation in the hypocotyl base, together with directional reorientation of adventitious roots. Seedlings integrate graviperception, hypocotyl structural reinforcements and root re-orientation to maintain stability during initial establishment.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149007713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cryptic serpentine divergence and substrate adaptation of Cardamine glauca in the Balkan Peninsula.","authors":"V Bureš, T Koberová, M Duchoslav, T Fér, M Nezamivand-Chegini, J Gerchen, J Nosková, T Mišljenović, K Jakovljević, P G Dimitrakopoulos, D Lakušić, F Kolář","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag294","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag294","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Serpentine soils represent one of the most challenging substrates for plant life due to skewed ratios of essential nutrients and toxic concentrations of metals. Plant adaptation to such conditions may lead to locally adapted edaphic ecotypes or, when reproductive barriers evolve, to distinct serpentine endemics. However, a third scenario may occur: cryptic edaphic divergence, where phenotypically similar lineages adapted to contrasting substrates exhibit deep genetic divergence. Here, we tested whether substrate-associated divergence reflects repeated serpentine adaptation or cryptic edaphic lineage divergence in Cardamine glauca (Brassicaceae) in Balkan peninsula - a hotspot of serpentine endemism in Europe.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We sampled and sequenced genomes of 43 individuals of C. glauca together with four individuals representing closely related taxa, C. plumieri and C. pancicii, from variable substrates across the Balkans. We combined phylogenomics, population genomic analyses of selection and a reciprocal transplant experiment to infer the most likely evolutionary scenario.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Phylogenomic analysis of 941 loci confirmed monophyly of C. glauca, including the local endemic C. pancicii, but revealed deep splits (∼2.2-3.2 Mya) between co-occurring serpentine and non-serpentine lineages. Population genomic analyses of replicated geographically proximate serpentine-non-serpentine population pairs demonstrated strong genome-wide differentiation and limited gene flow between edaphic types. Window-based analyses of local genomic divergence and tests for positive selection revealed candidate genes involved in ion transport, membrane transporter activity and metal homeostasis, consistent with the hypothesis of substrate-driven ecological adaptation. This was further supported by a significant substrate-of-origin fitness advantage in a reciprocal transplant experiment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Altogether, our results demonstrate that edaphic preferences may correspond with deep genetic divergence between similar-looking yet differently adapted lineages. The presence of cryptic edaphic lineages suggests that plant diversity may still be underestimated in genomically underexplored but edaphically diverse hotspots such as the Balkans.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148944129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proteomics of Pteridium aquilinum provides insights on stem lignification mechanisms.","authors":"Jingsong Huang, Tingguo Liu, Xiaoqing Liu","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag296","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag296","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Stem lignification seriously reduces the edible quality and marketability of Pteridium aquilinum, a popular wild vegetable. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying stem lignification during longitudinal development.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed 4D-proteomics based on data-independent acquisition (DIA) to compare protein expression profiles in the basal, middle, and upper parts of vegetative stems.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>A total of 6014 proteins were detected across basal, middle, and upper stem parts, with 1107, 647, and 234 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) identified in basal vs upper, middle vs upper, and basal vs middle comparisons, respectively. Among 72 DEPs shared by the three groups, 17 DEPs exhibited consistent up- or down-regulation patterns along the longitudinal sections, with fold changes ranging from 2.10 to 752.36 across comparisons, and most showing strong positive correlations (r > 0.94) with lignin content. Functional classification indicated that these DEPs were mainly associated with five categories, including photosynthesis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, cell wall organization, stress response, and shikimate metabolism. Lignin content increased basipetally. In contrast, activities of POD, PAL, and 4-CL showed an acropetal pattern (lower in basal part, higher in upper part), while laccase (LAC) activity increased basipetally, consistent with the lignin gradient. DEPs related with photosynthesis and shikimate metabolism were up-regulated, which might supply potential precursors for phenylpropanoid metabolism. Key enzymes such as 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (fold change up to 454.78 in basal vs upper comparison), cinnamoyl-coA reductase (up to 34.15), and caffeyol-CoA O-methyltransferase (up to 11.81), were identified, which could potentially participate in lignin monomer biosynthesis and polymerization.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Multiple biological processes coordinately regulate stem lignification in P. aquilinum. These results may serve as a scientific reference for future studies aiming to develop approaches to alleviate stem lignification and improve edible quality of P. aquilinum.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148928863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endopolyploidy in the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of C4 Poaceae.","authors":"Hidekazu Kobayashi, Marina Iwasa, Takao Oi","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Most C4 plants share photosynthetic reactions between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Bundle sheath cells in these C4 plants are enlarged and have higher organelle content, and these traits are considered crucial enablers of the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. Endopolyploidy, the occurrence of varying ploidy levels in the somatic tissues of an organism, has been implicated in the enlargement of cells. Endopolyploidy may therefore contribute to the enlargement of bundle sheath cells, but it remains elusive as to whether the nuclei of bundle sheath cells are endopolyploid in C4 Poaceae.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed endopolyploidy in the leaf cells of 18 species belonging to the two largest C4 Poaceae subfamilies (Panicoideae and Chloridoideae) using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, we examined whether genetic relatedness affected endopolyploidy among species using phylogenetic signals.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>In C4 Poaceae, the endoreduplication index of the nuclei in the bundle sheath cells was substantially higher than that in the mesophyll cells. Significant variations were noted in the endoreduplication index among the species in the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Furthermore, the variation in the endoreduplication index exhibited various patterns between the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Pagel's λ, a kind of phylogenetic signal, indicates that factors other than phylogeny markedly influence the variation in endoreduplication index of these cell types among the species.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study uncovered various tendencies concerning endopolyploidy in the cell types of C4 Poaceae. Bundle sheath cells tended to have endopolyploid nuclei, whereas mesophyll cells did not. However, the extent of endopolyploidy differs among the species, and such variation is derived from factors other than phylogeny, which vary depending on the cell type.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148918206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphometric and spectral signatures reveal strong structure and localized gray zones in Microgramma species delimitation.","authors":"Niksoney Azevedo Mendonça, Juliana Aljahara, D Victor Souza E Silva, Thaís Elias Almeida","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag293","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Recognizing lineages is a central challenge in plant systematics, making it essential to explore multiple analytical tools. In this context, this study investigates how frond shape can assist in discriminating against lineages within the Scaly clade of Microgramma (Polypodiaceae), and tests whether the integration of multiple lines of evidence enables a more consistent recognition of lineages than exclusively macromorphological approaches.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed 271 specimens representing eight species, using Elliptical Fourier Analysis (EFA) to quantify frond shape, followed by multivariate statistical tests (PCA, MANOVA, LDA). Evolutionary relationships between spectral and morphometric data were assessed through phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) regressions and phylogenetic partial least squares (Phylo-PLS) analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dimorphic species exhibited higher discrimination capacity (average accuracy of 80-83%). Fertile and combined fronds yielded the highest accuracy values. Morphologically similar species, such as M. reptans and M. tobagensis, showed considerable overlap, whereas M. percussa achieved the best performance (average accuracy of 80%). Morphometric-spectral covariation yielded R2 = 0.72 (P = 0.003) when sterile and fertile fronds were combined, although PGLS analyses detected no significant phylogenetic signal. The association differed between frond types and is interpreted here as exploratory evidence of morpho-spectral covariation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Outline morphometry combined with infrared spectroscopy within a phylogenetic framework improves lineage discrimination, although overlap zones persist, reflecting complex evolutionary processes. Our study highlights the potential of integrative systematics to elucidate species boundaries in groups with high morphological disparity, as well as the need for broad sampling and multi-evidence approaches in future systematic reviews.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148918329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}