Adil GÜNER, Vehbi ESER - optima

LESSONS ON INTEGRATION FROM A HALF-CENTURY OF
CHANGE IN PLANT SYSTEMATICS: CARLINA AND OTHER
EXAMPLES
Friedrich EHRENDORFER
University of Vienna, Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany,
Vienna, Austria: friedrich.ehrendorfer@univie.ac.at
Since the middle of the last century the author has witnessed and was actively involved in the
development of systematic and evolutionary botany from a solid “traditional” basis to what it is
today. This is briefly reviewed with references to karyo- and biosystematic work on Galium,
Asperula and Knautia, extensions into the chemosystematics of Asteraceae-Anthemideae and
Rutaceae, conflicts with purely phenetic approaches in basal Angiosperm families (Winteraceae,
Annonaceae, Dilleniaceae) and finally the break-through with the help of DNA-analytical
methods in Rubiaceae-Rubieae, Dipsacaceae, Achillea and Carlina. It is obvious, that the
integration of an increasing number of new technologies has placed “traditional” plant
systematics on a much broader multidisciplinary and scientifically better supported basis. That
certain problems and uncertainties remain in spite of these developments is illustrated by
comparing an earlier monograph on Carlina (1990,1994) with recent DNA-supported research
data. The genus Carlina (Asteraceae, Cardueae) is quite variable in growth form (from treelets to
annuals) and includes ca. 28 species centred in the Mediterranean area and the Canary Islands,
but with considerable extensions into temperate Eurasia. It is most closely related to Chamaeleon
(with 3 Mediterranean species). Nuclear and plastid DNA sequences support the majority of the
earlier conclusions on relationships and historical differentiation based on morphological,
anatomical, karyological, phytochemical, ecological and chorological data. Nevertheless, there
are obvious improvements and new phylogenetic aspects, but also new problems: Extinctions
among basal clades apparently result in the choice of outgroups less suitable for the
reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships and charcter change. Furthermore, accelerated
genetic divergence in apomorphic and relatively young annual taxa may result in the artefact of
their quite basal placement in the phylogenetic trees.
Keywords: plant systematics, historical developments, multidisciplinarity, interpretation
problems of DNA-data, Carlina.
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29
Oral Lectures