Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Recently Discovered Species of Mosses (2014-2015) in Mindanao Island, Philippines and its Taxonomic Distribution, Physical Attributes, and Biogeography

Enrico  C. Garcia,; Kristine  E. Tamaray,; Ariel Luis  Daga,; Andrea Denisse  Verendia,

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Recently Discovered Species of Mosses (2014-2015) in Mindanao Island, Philippines and its Taxonomic Distribution, Physical Attributes, and Biogeography

Ariel Luis Daga | Kristine E. Tamaray | Andrea Denisse Verendia | Enrico C. Garcia

Abstract:

Documentation of the rich flora diversity of the Mindanao Island was not given much attention. In 2014, a group of bryologists conducted two joint botanical expeditions between the Center for Biodiversity Research and Extension in Mindanao (CEBREM) of Central Mindanao University (CMUH) and the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). They have reported over 73 new species of mosses found in Mindanao Island and 17 of these species are new to the Philippines. Thus, the researchers aimed to construct a molecular phylogenetic tree of these recently discovered species using MEGA software and build a table of its taxonomic distribution based on several published studies in order to provide a detailed overview of the new moss species in the Mindanao Island. Based on the geographical distribution of the moss species, there is a strong floristic connection of Mindanao Island with neighboring islands such as Borneo, Java, Malaysia, New Guinea, and Australasia. The moss species were mainly found on tree trunks, branches, soil, and decaying woods. Moreover, evolutionary history is inferred using phylogenetic trees amongst mosses in Mindanao Island. Chloroplast DNA sequences with rbcL as its end product were used to infer phylogenetic trees using Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony with adjusted bootstrap intended for 100 replicates. Species from genus Acroporium are considered to be the oldest organisms for both trees: A. aciphyllum & A. joanis-walkeri in Maximum Likelihood while A. rufum & A. Rigens in Maximum Parsimony. The most advanced moss flora in Maximum Likelihood inferred phylogenetic tree is the species of genus Taxiphyllum: T. taxirameum and T. arcuatum. Opposingly, P. subtortile is the latest species of moss in the inferred phylogenetic tree using Maximum Parsimony.

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