Phylogenetic relationships within Pappophoreae s.l. (Poaceae: Chloridoideae): Additional evidence based on ITS and trnL-F sequence data

Historically, Pappophoreae included the genera Cottea, Enneapogon, Kaokochloa, Pappophorum and Schmidtia. Some authors consider this tribe as a well-supported monophyletic group; while other evidences reveals Pappophoreae as polyphyletic, with Pappophorum separated from the rest of the tribe. When the latter happens, it can form a clade with Tridens flavus. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the subfamily Chloridoideae have included few species of Pappophoreae; therefore, further research involving more representatives of this tribe is needed. With the aim of providing new evidence to help clarify the phylogenetic position of Pappophorum and its relationships with other genera of the tribe and the subfamily Chloridoideae, eight new sequences of ITS and trnL-F regions of Pappophoreae species were generated. These sequences were analyzed together with other available sequence data obtained from GenBank, using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference, for individual (trnL-F or ITS) or combined trnL-F/ITS data sets. All analyses reveal that Pappophoreae is polyphyletic, with Pappophorum separated from the rest of the tribe forming a well-supported clade sister to Tridens flavus.

Research Highlights
► We generate new sequences of ITS and trnL-F regions of Pappophoreae species and analyzed these together with other available sequence data, using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference.
► The polyphyletic status of the tribe Pappophoreae s. l. is supported.
► The genus Pappophorum is separated from the rest of the tribe forming a well-supported clade sister to Tridens flavus.
► The genera Cottea, Enneapogon, and Schmidtia appear as a well-supported monophyletic group in all the analyses.