Plant diversity in the Mediterranean area: Micro- and macroevolutionary studies in Anthemis L. (Compositae, Anthemideae)

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The Mediterranean region is an ideal and fascinating place to study plant endemism and its evolution. The here proposed investigations aim at macro- and microevolutionary studies in Anthemis L. as a typical member of the Mediterranean vegetation in order to gain more insight into the paths and periods of migration of lineages within the genus, into the geological and paleoecological driving mechanisms behind these diversification processes, and into the role of island systems in the genetic differentiation of populations of Mediterranean plant species. To achieve these goals we will (1) prepare a complete, basin-wide, molecular phylogenetic reconstruction for Anthemis s.l. (196 spp.) based on sequence information from a nuclear (nrDNA ITS) and two chloroplast (cpDNA psbAtrnH, trnC-petN) markers, (2) reconstruct the temporal and spatial diversification of the study group in the Mediterranean region using different biogeographical reconstruction methods and the molecular dating of dispersal/vicariance events, (3) prepare ecoclimatological reconstructions for terminals/clades and accomplish niche comparisons among them based on potential climatic ranges inferred from distribution data of georeferenced herbarium specimens, and (4) perform population genetic and phylogeographical studies (AFLP, cpDNA sequencing) in populations of the Anthemis secundiramea group in the central Mediterranean island system (Sicilian archipelago including Sicily, Tunisia, Malta, Lampedus, Pantelleria, Aegadian Islands, Ustica, Aeolian Islands) and combine them with eco-climatological reconstructions for species and niche comparisons among them.