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  1. The reduced cost of high‐throughput sequencing and the development of gene sets with wide phylogenetic applicability has led to the rise of sequence capture methods as a plausible platform for both phylogenomics and population genomics in plants. An important consideration in large targeted sequencing projects is the per‐sample cost, which can be inflated when using off‐the‐shelf kits or reagents not purchased in bulk. Here, we discuss methods to reduce per‐sample costs in high‐throughput targeted sequencing projects. We review the minimal equipment and consumable requirements for targeted sequencing while comparing several alternatives to reduce bulk costs inDNAextraction, library preparation, target enrichment, and sequencing. We consider how each of the workflow alterations may be affected byDNAquality (e.g., fresh vs. herbarium tissue), genome size, and the phylogenetic scale of the project. We provide a cost calculator for researchers considering targeted sequencing to use when designing projects, and identify challenges for future development of low‐cost sequencing in non‐model plant systems.

     
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  2. Premise

    Cornales is an order of flowering plants containing ecologically and horticulturally important families, including Cornaceae (dogwoods) and Hydrangeaceae (hydrangeas), among others. While many relationships in Cornales are strongly supported by previous studies, some uncertainty remains with regards to the placement of Hydrostachyaceae and to relationships among families in Cornales and within Cornaceae. Here we analyzed hundreds of nuclear loci to test published phylogenetic hypotheses and estimated a robust species tree for Cornales.

    Methods

    Using the Angiosperms353 probe set and existing data sets, we generated phylogenomic data for 158 samples, representing all families in the Cornales, with intensive sampling in the Cornaceae.

    Results

    We curated an average of 312 genes per sample, constructed maximum likelihood gene trees, and inferred a species tree using the summary approach implemented in ASTRAL‐III, a method statistically consistent with the multispecies coalescent model.

    Conclusions

    The species tree we constructed generally shows high support values and a high degree of concordance among individual nuclear gene trees. Relationships among families are largely congruent with previous molecular studies, except for the placement of the nyssoids and the Grubbiaceae‐Curtisiaceae clades. Furthermore, we were able to place Hydrostachyaceae within Cornales, and within Cornaceae, the monophyly of known morphogroups was well supported. However, patterns of gene tree discordance suggest potential ancient reticulation, gene flow, and/or ILS in the Hydrostachyaceae lineage and the early diversification ofCornus. Our findings reveal new insights into the diversification process across Cornales and demonstrate the utility of the Angiosperms353 probe set.

     
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  3. Premise

    Phylogenetic studies in the Compositae are challenging due to the sheer size of the family and the challenges they pose for molecular tools, ranging from the genomic impact of polyploid events to their very conserved plastid genomes. The search for better molecular tools for phylogenetic studies led to the development of the family‐specific Compositae1061 probe set, as well as the universal Angiosperms353 probe set designed for all flowering plants. In this study, we evaluate the extent to which data generated using the family‐specific kit and those obtained with the universal kit can be merged for downstream analyses.

    Methods

    We used comparative methods to verify the presence of shared loci between probe sets. Using two sets of eight samples sequenced with Compositae1061 and Angiosperms353, we ran phylogenetic analyses with and without loci flagged as paralogs, a gene tree discordance analysis, and a complementary phylogenetic analysis mixing samples from both sample sets.

    Results

    Our results show that the Compositae1061 kit provides an average of 721 loci, with 9–46% of them presenting paralogs, while the Angiosperms353 set yields an average of 287 loci, which are less affected by paralogy. Analyses mixing samples from both sets showed that the presence of 30 shared loci in the probe sets allows the combination of data generated in different ways.

    Discussion

    Combining data generated using different probe sets opens up the possibility of collaborative efforts and shared data within the synantherological community.

     
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  4. Premise

    Comprising five families that vastly differ in species richness—ranging from Gelsemiaceae with 13 species to the Rubiaceae with 13,775 species—members of the Gentianales are often among the most species‐rich and abundant plants in tropical forests. Despite considerable phylogenetic work within particular families and genera, several alternative topologies for family‐level relationships within Gentianales have been presented in previous studies.

    Methods

    Here we present a phylogenomic analysis based on nuclear genes targeted by the Angiosperms353 probe set for approximately 150 species, representing all families and approximately 85% of the formally recognized tribes. We were able to retrieve partial plastomes from off‐target reads for most taxa and infer phylogenetic trees for comparison with the nuclear‐derived trees.

    Results

    We recovered high support for over 80% of all nodes. The plastid and nuclear data are largely in agreement, except for some weakly to moderately supported relationships. We discuss the implications of our results for the order’s classification, highlighting points of increased support for previously uncertain relationships. Rubiaceae is sister to a clade comprising (Gentianaceae + Gelsemiaceae) + (Apocynaceae + Loganiaceae).

    Conclusions

    The higher‐level phylogenetic relationships within Gentianales are confidently resolved. In contrast to recent studies, our results support the division of Rubiaceae into two subfamilies: Cinchonoideae and Rubioideae. We do not formally recognize Coptosapelteae and Luculieae within any particular subfamily but treat them as incertae sedis. Our framework paves the way for further work on the phylogenetics, biogeography, morphological evolution, and macroecology of this important group of flowering plants.

     
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  5. Green plants (Viridiplantae) include around 450,000–500,000 species of great diversity and have important roles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, as part of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative, we sequenced the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta). Our analysis provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining the evolution of green plants. Most inferred species relationships are well supported across multiple species tree and supermatrix analyses, but discordance among plastid and nuclear gene trees at a few important nodes highlights the complexity of plant genome evolution, including polyploidy, periods of rapid speciation, and extinction. Incomplete sorting of ancestral variation, polyploidization and massive expansions of gene families punctuate the evolutionary history of green plants. Notably, we find that large expansions of gene families preceded the origins of green plants, land plants and vascular plants, whereas whole-genome duplications are inferred to have occurred repeatedly throughout the evolution of flowering plants and ferns. The increasing availability of high-quality plant genome sequences and advances in functional genomics are enabling research on genome evolution across the green tree of life. 
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  6. Premise

    Phylogenetic trees of bryophytes provide important evolutionary context for land plants. However, published inferences of overall embryophyte relationships vary considerably. We performed phylogenomic analyses of bryophytes and relatives using both mitochondrial and plastid gene sets, and investigated bryophyte plastome evolution.

    Methods

    We employed diverse likelihood‐based analyses to infer large‐scale bryophyte phylogeny for mitochondrial and plastid data sets. We tested for changes in purifying selection in plastid genes of a mycoheterotrophic liverwort (Aneura mirabilis) and a putatively mycoheterotrophic moss (Buxbaumia), and compared 15 bryophyte plastomes for major structural rearrangements.

    Results

    Overall land‐plant relationships conflict across analyses, generally weakly. However, an underlying (unrooted) four‐taxon tree is consistent across most analyses and published studies. Despite gene coverage patchiness, relationships within mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are largely congruent with previous studies, with plastid results generally better supported. Exclusion ofRNAedit sites restores cases of unexpected non‐monophyly to monophyly forTakakiaand two hornwort genera. Relaxed purifying selection affects multiple plastid genes in mycoheterotrophicAneurabut notBuxbaumia. Plastid genome structure is nearly invariant across bryophytes, but thetufA locus, presumed lost in embryophytes, is unexpectedly retained in several mosses.

    Conclusions

    A common unrooted tree underlies embryophyte phylogeny, [(liverworts, mosses), (hornworts, vascular plants)]; rooting inconsistency across studies likely reflects substantial distance to algal outgroups. Analyses combining genomic and transcriptomic data may be misled locally for heavilyRNA‐edited taxa. TheBuxbaumiaplastome lacks hallmarks of relaxed selection found in mycoheterotrophicAneura. Autotrophic bryophyte plastomes, includingBuxbaumia, hardly vary in overall structure.

     
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