Phylogeny of Ptychostomum (Bryaceae,Musci) inferred from sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast rps4

The phylogeny of Ptychostomum was first spacer （ITS） region of the nuclear ribosomal （nr） DNA DNA rps4 sequences. Maximum parsimony, maximum undertaken based on analysis of the internal transcribed and by combining data from nrDNA ITS and chloroplast likelihood, and Bayesian analyses all support the conclusion that the reinstated genus Ptychostomum is not monophyletic. Ptychostomum funkii （Schwagr.） J. R. Spence （≡ Bryum funkii Schwaigr.） is placed within a clade containing the type species of Bryum, B. argenteum Hedw. The remaining members of Ptychostomum investigated in the present study constitute another well-supported clade. The results are congruent with previous molecular analyses. On the basis of phylogenetic evidence, we agree with transferring B. amblyodon Mull. Hal. （≡ B. inclinatum （Brid.） Turton≡ Bryum archangelicum Bruch ＆ Schimp.）, Bryum lonchocaulon Mull. Hal., Bryum pallescens Schleich. ex Schwaigr., and Bryum pallens Sw. to Ptychostomum.

Phylogeny and Biogeography of Thuja L. （Cupressaceae）, an Eastern Asian and North American Disjunct Genus

In order to develop better insights into biogeographic patterns of eastern Asian and North American disjunct plant genera, sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (nr DNA ITS) region were used to estimate interspecific relationships of Thuja L. (Cupressaceae) and infer its biogeography based on the phylogeny. According to the phylogenetic analysis, two clades were recognized. The first clade included Thuja plicata D. Don (western North America) and T. koraiensis Nakai (northeastern Asia), and the second one contained T. occidentalis(Gord.) Carr. (Japan). The ancestral area of Thuja was inferred to be eastern Asia, and two dispersal events were responsible for the modern distribution of Thuja in North America. Both the North Atlantic land bridge and Bering land bridge were possible routes for the migration of ancestral populations to North America.

The unbearable lightness of sequenced-based identification

Using the basic GenBank local alignment search tool program(BLAST)to identify fungi collected in a recently protected beech forest at Montricher(Switzerland),the number of ITS sequences associated to the wrong taxon name appears to be around 30%,even higher than previously estimated.Such results rely on the in-depth re-examination of BLAST results for the most interesting species that were collected,viz.first records for Switzerland,rare or patrimonial species and problematic species(when BLAST top scores were equally high for different species),all belonging to Agaricomycotina.This paper dissects for the first time a number of sequence-based identifications,thereby showing in every detail—particularly to the user community of taxonomic information—why sequence-based identification in the context of a fungal inventory can easily go wrong.Our first conclusion is that in-depth examination of BLAST results is too time consuming to be considered as a routine approach for future inventories:we spent two months on verification of approx.20 identifications.Apart from the fact that poor taxon coverage in public depositories remains the principal impediment for successful species identification,it can be deplored that even very recent fungal sequence deposits in GenBank involve an uncomfortably high number of misidentifications or errors with associated metadata.While checking the original publications associated with top score sequences for the few examples that were here re-examined,a positive consequence is that we uncovered over 80 type sequences that were not annotated as types in GenBank.Advantages and pitfalls of sequence-based identification are discussed,particularly in the light of undertaking fungal inventories.Recommendations are made to avoid or reduce some of the major problems with sequence-based identification.Nevertheless,the prospects for a more reliable sequence-based identification of fungi remain quite dim,unless authors are ready to check and update the metadata associated with previously deposited sequences in their publications.