Evolution of the major moss lineages: Phylogenetic analyses based on multiple gene sequences and morphology

Evolutionary relationships of moses are still poorly understood, with famil y, order, and subclass circumscription and relationship remaining especiall y obscure. Over the past decade, a considerable body of data has accumulate d, including information on morphological, developmental, anatomical, and u ltrastructural characteristics, as well as nucleotide sequences for a numbe r of nuclear and plastid genes. We have combined data from these different sources to provide an overview of the relationships of the major lineages o f mosses. We analyzed a data set that includes 33 moss species and ten outg roup taxa drawn from the liverworts, hornworts, and vascular plants. Molecu lar data consisted of nucleotide sequences from four DNA regions, (rbcL, tr nL-trnF, rps4 and 18S). Morphological data included 41 characters of which many were derived from published anatomical and ultra-structural studies. C ombining morphological and molecular data in the analyses showed that mosse s, including Sphagnum, Takakia, Andreaea and Andreaeobryum, from a monophyl etic group, provided improved resolution of higher level relationships, and further insight into evolutionary patterns in morphology.