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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Systematics and Evolution
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1470311

Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes and phylogenetic relationships in the endemic Chinese Gelidocalamus (Bambusoideae)

Provisionally accepted
ChengKun Wang ChengKun Wang Yonglong Li Yonglong Li Guangyao Yang Guangyao Yang Wengen Zhang Wengen Zhang Chunce Guo Chunce Guo *
  • Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Improved Variety Breeding and Efficient Utilization of Native Tree Species, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Gelidocalamus Wen is a small but taxonomically challenging genus within the Arundinarieae tribe.Recent molecular studies have suggested it may not be monophyletic. However, limited species sampling and insufficient molecular marker information have resulted in poorly resolved phylogenetic relationships within this genus. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes covering all 16 species and one variant within the genus. Additionally, we assembled a nrDNA repeats region and 29 mitochondrial protein-coding genes from the genome skimming data. The plastomes of Gelidocalamus ranged in size from 139,500 to 139,801 bp, with a total of 137 genes identified, including 90 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The size of the nrDNA repeats ranged from 5802 to 5804 bp. Phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast data revealed that Gelidocalamus is polyphyletic, with different subclades distributed within the IV and V clades.However, phylogenetic analysis based on nrDNA and mitochondrial genes did not resolve the relationships within the genus effectively. Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes indicated that Gelidocalamus shares a high degree of similarity with closely related genera in terms of chloroplast genome collinearity, codon usage bias, and repetitive sequences. Divergence time estimation suggested that it is a relatively young group, with all members appearing successively over the past 4 million years. The complex phylogenetic patterns may arise due to rapid radiation of Arundinarieae. This study provides a preliminary foundation for further in-depth research on the phylogeny, genomic structural features, and divergence times of this genus.

    Keywords: Gelidocalamus Wen, phylogenetic relationships, Plastome evolution, Molecular markers, divergence times

    Received: 25 Jul 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Li, Yang, Zhang and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Chunce Guo, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Improved Variety Breeding and Efficient Utilization of Native Tree Species, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China

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