• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.314-325
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• 2016

Multiple changes of the photosynthesis pathway are independent evolutionary events occurring in the phylogeny of flowering plants, and such changes have occurred more than five times in Cyperaceae. In the tribe Cypereae, the C4 photosynthetic pathway appeared only once and is regarded as a synapomorphy of the C4 plants within this tribe. The morphological delimitation of genera within Cypereae does not correspond to their molecular phylogenetic relationships. In this study, the molecular phylogeny was compared with the photosynthetic pathways of Korean Cypereae (18 species of Cyperus, 1 species of Kyllinga, and 1 species of Lipocarpha). The photosynthetic pathways were determined by observing the leaf anatomy. The phylogenetic analysis was performed using three DNA regions (nrITS, rbcL, and trnL-F). According to the position of the photosynthetic tissue, 4 species (C. difformis, C. flaccidus, C. haspan, and C. tenuispica) and 16 species (14 Cyperus species, K. brevifolia var. leiolepis, and L. microcephala) were confirmed as C3 and C4 plants, respectively. Tribe Cypereae was divided into the CYPERUS and FICINIA clades, and all species of Korean Cypereae plants belonged to the CYPERUS clade in the phylogenetic analysis. Within the CYPERUS clade, C4 plants were monophyletic but their phylogenetic relationships were unclear. The genera Kyllinga and Lipocarpha were not supported as an independent genus in either case because they were nested by the Cyperus species in the molecular phylogenetic trees in the present and in previous studies. To determine the classification within the CYPERUS clade, a detailed morphological study and a molecular phylogenetic analysis at a high resolution will be necessary.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.650-657
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• 2020

We conducted a phylogeographic analysis of Korean endemic Zacco koreanus populations inhabiting the East-flowing river (Gangneung Yeongokcheon; GY, Yangyang Namdaecheon; YN), the Han River (Seomgang; SG, Soksacheon; SS), and the Nakdong River(Gilancheon; GA) using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene (619 bp). Population genetic analysis was further performed to assess the population connectivity for the GY river where there is a large number of human-made artificial weirs with several fishways. The phylogeographic analysis revealed that while the populations of the East-flowing river and those of the Han River formed a monophyletic lineage, the Nakdong River individuals represented a distinct lineage with 3.7-4.2% (mean=4.0%) genetic distance from the other lineages. The population genetic analysis of the GY showed that a mid-stream population harbored relatively higher mitochondrial diversity relative to up- and down-stream populations, and there was no genetic differentiation between these three populations. The latter findings might suggest high genetic connectivity between the populations via genetic flow along the fishways. However, an analysis using faster-evolving genetic markers, such as microsatellites, is needed to confirm the findings of high population connectivity. Our study suggests the possibility of the presence of cryptic species in Z. koreanus in the Nakdong River basin. However, further study with more individual samples as well as additional markers or even more advanced genomic tools is required to test our hypothesis. Ecological or phenotypic analyses should be conducted to test whether the observed Nakdong River lineage represents a different or cryptic species, or simply hidden, but excessive, intraspecific diversity.