Johannes T. Klein

RaxmlGUI is a graphical user interface to RAxML, one of the most popular and widely used softwares for phylogenetic inference using maximum likelihood. Here we present raxmlGUI 2.0, a complete rewrite of the GUI which seamlessly integrates RAxML binaries for all major operating systems with an intuitive graphical front‐end to setup and run phylogenetic analyses. Our program offers automated pipelines for analyses that require multiple successive calls of RAxML, built‐in functions to concatenate alignment files while automatically specifying the appropriate partition settings, and one‐click model testing to select the best substitution models using ModelTest‐NG. In addition to RAxML 8.x, raxmlGUI 2.0 also supports the new RAxML‐NG, which provides new functionality and higher performance on large datasets. raxmlGUI 2.0 facilitates phylogenetic analyses by coupling an intuitive interface with the unmatched performance of RAxML.

Sedum, containing approximately 470 species, is by far the largest genus of Crassulaceae. Three decades of molecular phylogenetic work have provided evidence for the non‐monophyly of Sedum and many more of the 30 genera of Crassulaceae subfam. Sempervivoideae. In this study, we present a broadly sampled and dated molecular phylogeny of Sempervivoideae including 80% of all infrageneric taxa described in Sedum as well as most other genera of the subfamily. We used sequences of one nuclear (ITS) and three plastid markers (matK, rps16, trnL‐trnF). The five major lineages of Sempervivoideae (i.e., Telephium clade, Petrosedum clade, Sempervivum/Jovibarba, Aeonium clade, Leucosedum plus Acre clades) were resolved as successive sister to each other in the phylogenetic analysis of the plastid markers, while in the ITS phylogeny the Petrosedum clade is the closest relative of the Aeonium clade. Our dating analysis of ITS suggests that Sempervivoideae diversified rapidly throughout the Paleocene and Eocene, possibly in the area of the former Tethys and Paratethys archipelago. A biogeographic pattern emerges in which migration out of this ancestral area is linked to pronounced morphological evolution resulting in several distinct lineages recognized as segregate genera thought to be derived from Sedum. These segregate genera, however, have been defined on the basis of strongly homoplasious characters such as degree of petal fusion, petal colouration or flower merism. Moreover, all character states currently used for the delimitation of segregate genera seem to be homoplasious, and each of them can be found in at least one species of Sedum. Extensive literature work led to the conclusion that only few of the monophyletic clades found by us can be defined unambiguously by morphological characters. Mainly for these two reasons, we believe that combination of all 14 genera currently recognized in tribe Sedeae (= clades Leucosedum plus Acre) into Sedum might be the most stable solution of the “Sedum problem”. This new Sedum s.l. would then comprise approximately 755 species.

National governments are the main actors responsible for mapping and protecting their biodiversity, but countries differ in their capacity, willingness, and effectiveness to do so. We quantify the global biodiversity managed by different regime types and developed a tool to explore the links between level of democracy and other key socio-economic variables with the number of natural history specimens registered within country boundaries. Using this tool, distinct and previously unknown patterns emerge around the world, that urge for increased collaboration between the natural and social sciences to further explore these patterns and their underlying processes.

The use of DNA sequence data in plant systematics has brought us closer than ever to formulating well-founded hypotheses about phylogenetic relationships, and phylogenetic research keeps on revealing that plant genera as traditionally circumscribed often are not monophyletic. Here, we assess the monophyly of all genera of vascular plants found in Germany. Using a survey of the phylogenetic literature, we discuss which classifications would be consistent with the phylogenetic relationships found and could be followed, provided monophyly is accepted as the primary criterion for circumscribing taxa. We indicate whether and which names are available when changes in generic assignment are made (but do not present a comprehensive review of the nomenclatural aspects of such names). Among the 840 genera examined, we identified c. 140 where data quality is sufficiently high to conclude that they are not monophyletic, and an additional c. 20 where monophyly is questionable but where data quality is not ye...

The Arabidopsis arenosa complex is closely related to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Species and subspecies in the complex are mainly biennial, predominantly outcrossing, herbaceous, and with a distribution range covering most parts of latitudes and the eastern reaches of Europe. In this study we present the first comprehensive evolutionary history of the A. arenosa species complex, covering its natural range, by using chromosome counts, nuclear AFLP data, and a maternally inherited marker from the chloroplast genome [trnL intron (trnL) and trnL/F intergenic spacer (trnL/F-IGS) of tRNA^Leu and tRNA^Phe, respectively]. We unravel the broad-scale cytogeographic and phylogeographic patterns of diploids and tetraploids. Diploid cytotypes were exclusively found on the Balkan Peninsula and in the Carpathians while tetraploid cytotypes were found throughout the remaining distribution range of the A. arenosa complex. Three centers of genetic diversity were identified: the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathians, and the unglaciated Eastern and Southeastern Alps. All three could have served as long-term refugia during Pleistocene climate oscillations. We hypothesize that the Western Carpathians were and still are the cradle of speciation within the A. arenosa complex due to the high species number and genetic diversity and the concurrence of both cytotypes there.