Abstract
Abstract The rhizomes of all species in the fern genus Lecanopteris Reinw. contain galleries (hollow chambers) that serve as domatia (homes) for ants. Some aspects of the biology of these species have been elucidated clearly, e.g., adaptations linked to the facultative, co-ecological association between Lecanopteris species and ants have been well established. Other aspects such as the evolutionary relationships between Lecanopteris and other genera of the Polypodiaceae as well as among the thirteen species in Lecanopteris remain widely debated. Diverse leaf and rhizome features have provided numerous autapomorphic characters for diagnosing species and describing subgenera, but there are few synapomorphies to establish reliable interspecific alliances. DNA sequences of the rbcL gene and the trnL-F non-coding region were obtained to test hypotheses of evolutionary history for Lecanopteris and related taxa. Data from each DNA region were considered separately and in combined analyses. The phylogeny obtained...
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