A highly resolved nuclear phylogeny uncovers strong phylogenetic conservatism and correlated evolution of fruit color and size in Solanum L.

Publisher: Wiley on behalf of New Phytologist Trust Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9882884 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1469-8137 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0028646X NLM ISO Abbreviation: New Phytol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Oxford : Wiley on behalf of New Phytologist Trust
Original Publication: London, New York [etc.] Academic Press.

Phylogeny* ; Solanum*/genetics ; Fruit*/genetics ; Biological Evolution* ; Pigmentation*/genetics ; Cell Nucleus*/genetics ; Color*; Genes, Plant

Mutualisms between plants and fruit-eating animals were key to the radiation of angiosperms. Still, phylogenetic uncertainties limit our understanding of fleshy-fruit evolution, as in the case of Solanum, a genus with remarkable fleshy-fruit diversity, but with unresolved phylogenetic relationships. We used 1786 nuclear genes from 247 species, including 122 newly generated transcriptomes/genomes, to reconstruct the Solanum phylogeny and examine the tempo and mode of the evolution of fruit color and size. Our analysis resolved the backbone phylogeny of Solanum, providing high support for its clades. Our results pushed back the origin of Solanum to 53.1 million years ago (Ma), with most major clades diverging between 35 and 27 Ma. Evolution of Solanum fruit color and size revealed high levels of trait conservatism, where medium-sized berries that remain green when ripe are the likely ancestral form. Our analyses revealed that fruit size and color are evolutionary correlated, where dull-colored fruits are two times larger than black/purple and red fruits. We conclude that the strong phylogenetic conservatism shown in the color and size of Solanum fruits could limit the influences of fruit-eating animals on fleshy-fruit evolution. Our findings highlight the importance of phylogenetic constraints on the diversification of fleshy-fruit functional traits.
(© 2024 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; DEB-2129365 National Science Foundation; Fulbright Program; Pennsylvania State University; Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Seed Research Grant

Keywords: Solanaceae; dispersal syndrome hypothesis; eggplant; fruit evolution; nightshades; phylogenomics; potato; tomato

Date Created: 20240527 Date Completed: 20240620 Latest Revision: 20240720

20240721

10.1111/nph.19849

38798267