The evolutionary history of Hypericum (Hypericaceae) with special emphasis on sect. Hypericum - Biogeography, character evolution, ecological shifts, and age estimations

金丝桃属（Hypericum）（圣约翰草属;金丝桃科）由超过460种的乔木、灌木和草本植物组成，分布于北方的温带地区，热带高海拔生境，并且在南美洲南部只有少数种（1种）。和澳大拉西亚（2 spp.）它是100个最大的被子植物属之一，也是少数几个，如果不是唯一的，由于诺曼罗布森博士（自然历史博物馆，伦敦）50年的工作，阿尔法分类法几乎完成。在金丝桃属中，目前已知有32个组。然而，没有正式的形态特征的分支分析或扩展的分子系统学方法进行到现在，以限制自然单位（即单系群）的属。在拟议的项目内，将进行Hypehcum的嵌套系统发育分析方法。在与自然历史博物馆的合作下，将进行整个属的彻底的骨干系统发育，分析约250个物种的nrDNA ITS序列，单拷贝核基因和合适的叶绿体DNA区域。通过这种分析，我们将测试金丝桃属的部分是否是单系群，如果不是，则在属内限定新的单系实体。对于H的近亲。贯叶连翘（普通圣约翰草），即金丝桃组（可能在一个新的范围内）和近缘种，详细分析系统发育关系，包括每个种的几个个体，并应用系统发育和群体遗传分析方法。对于这一组，将使用核ITS和单拷贝基因数据以及叶绿体数据。在遗传学的基础上，我们将重建性格进化（例如，草本与木本习性、蒴果与浆果、染色体数目）、历史植物地理学（包括由于热带和温带生境之间的变化而引起的生态位转移、定殖方向、分离的年龄）、医学上使用或可用的次级化合物（金丝桃素、利尿剂）的分布以及金丝桃属内无融合生殖的进化。

The genus Hypericum (St. John's wort; Hypericaceae) consists of over 460 species of trees, shrubs and herbs, occurring in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in tropical high elevation habitats, and with few species, in southern South America (1 sp.) and Australasia (2 spp.). It is one of the 100 largest angiosperm genera and one of the few, if not the only, where the alpha taxonomy is nearly completed due to 50 years of work of Dr. Norman Robson (Natural History Museum, London). Within Hypericum 32 sections are currently recognized. However, no formal cladistic analysis of morphological characters or an extended molecular systematic approach was conducted up to now to circumscribe natural units (i.e. monophyletic groups) of the genus. Within the proposed project a nested phylogenetic analysis approach of Hypehcum will be done. In cooperation with the Natural History Museum a thorough backbone phylogeny of the entire genus will be conducted, analyzing -250 species with nrDNA ITS sequences, a single copy nuclear gene, and a suitable chloroplast DNA region. With this analysis we will test if the sections of Hypericum are monophyletic groups and, if not, circumscribe new monophyletic entities within the genus. For the closer relatives of H. perforatum (Common St. John's wort), i.e. section Hypericum (probably in a new circumscription) and close allies, a detailed analysis of phylogenetic relationships will be done, including several individuals per species, and applying phylogenetic and population genetic analysis methods. For this group nuclear ITS and single copy gene data as well as chloroplast data will be used. On the basis of the phylogenies we will reconstruct character evolution (e.g., herbaceous vs. woody habit, capsules vs. berries, chromosome numbers), historical biogeography (including niche shifts due to changes between tropical and temperate habitats, colonization directions, age of disjunctions), distribution of medically used or usable secondary compounds (hypericin, diuretics), and the evolution of apomixis within Hypericum.