Molecular Phylogeny, Biogeography and an e-Monograph of the Papaya Family (Caricaceae) as an Example of Taxonomy in the Electronic Age

Fernanda Antunes Carvalho addresses an issue of key importance to the field of systematics, namely how to foster taxonomic work and the dissemination of scientific knowledge about species by taking full advantage of electronic data and bioinformatics tools. The first part focuses on the development of an electronic monograph of the papaya family (Caricaceae) using existing infrastructures of Information Technology (IT) and bioinformatic tools that together set the stage for a new era of systematics. Based on the plastid and nuclear DNA data, the author inferred historical processes in the second part that may have shaped the evolution of the Caricaceae and explain their current geographic distribution. The last part is dedicated to the evolution of chromosome numbers in the Caricaceae and includes counts for species from three genera (Cylicomorpha, Horovitzia, Jarilla) that have never been investigated before. Contents Taxonomy in the Electronic Age Correct Names for Some of the Closest Relatives of Carica Papaya A Dated Phylogeny of the Papaya Family Chromosome Counts for the Caricaceae Reveal Target Groups Researchers and students in the field of plant taxonomy as well as biogeographers The Author Dr. Fernanda Antunes Carvalho completed her Ph. D. in Botany at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. She is now a post-doc at the University of Gothenburg Fernanda Antunes Carvalho addresses an issue of key importance to the field of systematics, namely how to foster taxonomic work and the dissemination of scientific knowledge about species by taking full advantage of electronic data and bioinformatics tools. The first part focuses on the development of an electronic monograph of the papaya family (Caricaceae) using existing infrastructures of Information Technology (IT) and bioinformatic tools that together set the stage for a new era of systematics. Based on the plastid and nuclear DNA data, the author inferred historical processes in the second part that may have shaped the evolution of the Caricaceae and explain their current geographic distribution. The last part is dedicated to the evolution of chromosome numbers in the Caricaceae and includes counts for species from three genera (Cylicomorpha, Horovitzia, Jarilla) that have never been investigated before. Contents Taxonomy in the Electronic Age Correct Names for Some of the Closest Relatives of Carica Papaya A Dated Phylogeny of the Papaya Family Chromosome Counts for the Caricaceae Reveal Target Groups Researchers and students in the field of plant taxonomy as well as biogeographers The Author Dr. Fernanda Antunes Carvalho completed her Ph. D. in Botany at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. She is now a post-doc at the University of Gothenburg Front Matter....Pages I-XIV I. General Introduction....Pages 1-12 II. Taxonomy in the Electronic Age: An e-Monograph of the Papaya Family (Caricaceae) as an Example § ....Pages 13-31 III. Correct Names for some of the Closest Relatives of Carica papaya L.: A Review of the Mexican/Guatemalan Genera Jarilla and Horovitzia § ....Pages 33-47 IV. A Dated Phylogeny of the Papaya Family (Caricaceae) Reveals the Crop’s Closest Relatives and the Family’s Biogeographic History § ....Pages 49-81 V. Chromosome Counts for the Caricaceae Reveal Unexpected Dysploidy....Pages 83-92 VI. General Discussion....Pages 93-105 Back Matter....Pages 107-147