My main research line is focused in Plant Systematics, especially in the family Rutaceae, popularly known due to Citrus (oranges, lemon, tangerines...), and Ruta (rue). This family was introduced to me by my advisor, Dr. José Rubens Pirani, from Instituto de Biociências-USP. Together with Dr. Jacquelyn A. Kallunki, from New York Botanical Garden, another great especialist in neotropical Rutaceae, we have conduced some joint projects.
In December (2012), almost in the Xmas Eve, it was published (Phytokeys, 19: 9–29, doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.19.3912) a paper dealing with an enigmatic Rutacean genus: Pitavia (el "Pitao"). This genus is monoespecific (only P. amara recognized) and endemic to continental Chile (see some photos below). We had no idea on how to position it in a phylogenetic context. Was it positioned close to the Neotropical groups of Rutaceae? Or close to Pacific genera instead?
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| Pitavia - habit (from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/345484) |
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| Pitavia - flowers (from http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjbn/3639605174/)
The opportunity in studing this group arose when Dr. Klaus Kubitzki (Hamburg Institut für Allegemeine Botanik Germany) kindly sent me a silica-gel leaf sample, so we performed a molecular phylogenetic study. Dr. Alexandre Antonelli (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) helped a lot in the Bayesian Inference analysis.
As the sampling in Rutaceae was large, we were able to propose a new subfamilial circunscription to this family, recognizing only two monophyletic subfamilies, instead 6-7 recognized before: Cneoroideae and Rutoideae. As a consequence, Aurantioideae (the famous Citrus and its allies) was reduced to tribal rank as Aurantieae under Rutoideae.
And what about Chilean Pitavia? Read the article and find out (doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.19.3912)
OK, here are some cladograms: |
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Combined analysis (note new subfamilies
circunscription in far right vertical bars) . From Groppo et al. (2012).
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| Synapomorphies to some internal clades. From Groppo et al. (2012) |
