Chloroplast DNA variation and phylogeny of theRanunculaceae

Restriction site mapping of chloroplast DNA from 31 species representing 26 genera of theRanunculaceae was performed using eleven restriction endonucleases. The chloroplast genome varies in length from approximately 152 to 160 kb. Length variants are frequent in theRanunculaceae and range from usually less than 300 bp to rarely 1.5 kb. The inverted repeat is extended into the large single copy (LSC) region by 4–4.5 kb inAnemone, Clematis, Clematopsis, Hepatica, Knowltonia, andPulsatilla. Several inversions are present in the LSC-region of the cpDNA in all these genera and inAdonis. The frequency of restriction site mutations varies within the chloroplast genome in theRanunculaceae between 4 and 32 mutations per kilobase, and is lowest in the inverted repeat and the regions containing the ATPase-genes and the genespsaA, psaB, psbA, rpoB, andrbcL. A total of 547 phylogenetically informative restriction sites was utilized in cladistic analyses of the family using Wagner, Dollo, and weighted parsimony. These three parsimony analyses result in different tree topologies. Four, six, and one equally most parsimonious trees were obtained with Wagner, Dollo, and weighted parsimony, respectively. The amount of support for the monophyletic groups was evaluated using bootstrapping and decay analysis. All three parsimony methods suggest thatHydrastis is the sister group to the remainder of theRanunculaceae, and that theAnemone-Clematis group, which shares several derived cpDNA rearrangements, is monophyletic. Only a few of the traditional groups in theRanunculaceae are supported by cpDNA restriction side data. Only Dollo parsimony provides support for the hypothesis thatThalictroideae andRanunculoideae are monophyletic.