Chemical and phylogenetic relationships among Aristolochia L. (Aristolochiaceae) from southeastern Brazil

In this report, a molecular phylogeny based on the plastid gene matK and on the region between the genes trnL and trnF, and a chemical relationship based on the pattern of sesquiterpenes, is proposed for Aristolochia species from southeastern Brazil. We found that Aristolochia is a monophyletic genus and species considered to be derived contain labdanoic acids (LAs) in their leaves. The phenetic relationship recovered with sesquiterpenes did not agree with the phylogenetic relationships for Aristolochia, and three main clusters were recognized, namely, germacrene-D, germacrene-C and Z-caryophyllene groups. The presence of different sesquiterpene structures in species that are phylogenetically closely related may reflect adaptations to avoid predation of herbivores specialized in feeding on Aristolochiaceae plants.