Undergraduate Researcher HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Madison, Alabama
Body of Abstract: Often found in forests of the southeast United States, Trillium species have become a symbol of southeastern wildlife and a nationally-recognized emblem of conservation concern with approximately 15 species presently ranked as high conservation priorities (level G1, G2, or G3) by US Fish and Wildlife. For many years, the phylogenetic relationships within Melanthiaceae, the “bunch flower family,” have remained obscure which has spurred various attempts to determine which of the five currently-recognized tribes should comprise the family. The most controversial of these is the tribe Parideae, a single-flowered clade which includes the genus Trillium. Since phylogenetic studies have been limited to a broad view of Melanthiaceae, the genus Trillium has not been thoroughly analyzed using current molecular or sequencing techniques. Trillium contains 44 currently defined species with singular, trimerous inflorescences, approximately 33 of which are found in North America. Trillium species typically have large genomes (2n=~65 Gb) which restricts the feasibility of whole genome sequencing. By using Angiosperms353 bait capture sequencing, we have constructed an updated phylogeny for the Trillium genus using 94 herbarium and fresh vouchered samples representing nearly all Trillium species. We recovered an average of 250 to 300 loci (out of 353) to estimate a multi-locus coalescent species tree. Our phylogenetic study will propel research and conservation efforts within the Trillium genus as well as contribute to resolving the historically complex taxonomic classification of tribe Parideae within Melanthiaceae or as a segregate family. Furthermore, we aim to demonstrate the efficacy of Angiosperms353 bait capture within a clade of closely related species with inflated genome sizes.