Abstract
Hybridisation has been proposed to play an important role in fern evolution, but has been difficult to investigate. This study explores the utility of target sequence capture and read-to-reference phasing of putative hybrids to investigate the role of evolutionary reticulation in ferns using Australian Thelypteridaceae as a model. The bioinformatics workflow HybPhaser was used to assess divergence between alleles, phase sequence reads to references and construct accessions resembling parental haplotypes. These accessions were included in phylogenetic and network analyses to detect hybrids and infer their parentage. This approach identified two novel hybrid lineages in Thelypteridaceae, one occurring between two different genera (Abacopteris and Christella), and another as part of a complex of Christella. In addition, hybrid phasing successfully reduced conflicting data and improved overall resolution in the Thelypteridaceae phylogeny, highlighting the power of this approach for reconstructing evolutionary history in reticulated lineages.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
