Core eudicots

Core eudicots
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Name	Core eudicots
Regnum	Plantae
Clade	Angiosperms
Clade2	Eudicots
Clade3	Core eudicots

Core eudicots Core eudicots are a large clade within the Angiosperms characterized by shared molecular and morphological traits recognized across diverse lineages such as Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, and Rutaceae. Studies by researchers affiliated with institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian Institution, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Max Planck Society have integrated data from projects such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and initiatives like the 1000 Plant Transcriptomes Project to resolve their relationships. Core eudicots underpin floras in regions including the Mediterranean Basin, Amazon Rainforest, and Congo Basin and are central to floristic treatments housed in repositories such as the Kew Herbarium and the New York Botanical Garden.

Overview

The grouping emerged from molecular analyses published in journals like Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and built on frameworks proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III and Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV. Work by botanists associated with universities such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of California, Berkeley, University of Tokyo, and University of Zurich has refined core eudicot circumscription using data from consortia including the International Barcode of Life. Landmark phylogenetic contributions from researchers at Stanford University and the Australian National University integrated fossil calibrations from collections at the Natural History Museum, London and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Core eudicots are placed within a backbone established by analyses from teams at University College London and the Botanical Garden Berlin that combined sequence data from plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear loci, with taxon sampling informed by herbaria like the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle and databases such as The Plant List. Major contributors to the taxonomy include scholars from Cornell University, Yale University, University of Michigan, Imperial College London, and Peking University, and their work aligns with nomenclatural standards maintained by the International Plant Names Index and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Cladistic frameworks reference calibration points discussed in monographs produced by the Botanical Society of America and phylogeographic syntheses published by the Royal Society.

Morphological and anatomical characteristics

Morphological syntheses by researchers at the California Academy of Sciences, University of Vienna, and University of São Paulo describe shared features such as tricolpate pollen first recognized in classic treatments connected to collectors like Joseph Dalton Hooker and taxonomists including Augustin Pyramus de Candolle; anatomical studies have been advanced by teams at ETH Zurich and the University of British Columbia. Comparative developmental genetics from laboratories at Johns Hopkins University and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology link floral patterning genes studied in model taxa from groups represented at the Salk Institute and the Carnegie Institution for Science. Structural investigations utilize microscopy facilities at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Major clades and representative families

Major clades within core eudicots include groupings that encompass families such as Rosaceae (roses, apples), Fabaceae (legumes), Asteraceae (daisies), Brassicaceae (mustards), Apiaceae (carrots), Caryophyllaceae (pinks), Malvaceae (mallows), Rutaceae (citrus), Euphorbiaceae (spurges), Lauraceae (laurels), Anacardiaceae (sumacs), Myrtaceae (eucalypts), Sapindaceae (soapberries), Ericaceae (heathers), Hydrangeaceae (hydrangeas), Saxifragaceae (saxifrages), Balsaminaceae (impatiens), Aizoaceae (ice plants), Geraniaceae (geraniums), Polygonaceae (buckwheat), Urticaceae (nettles), Lamiaceae (mints), Oleaceae (olives), Plumbaginaceae (leadworts), Scrophulariaceae (figworts), Convolvulaceae (morning-glories), Solanaceae (nightshades), Vitaceae (grapes), Rubiaceae (coffee), Campanulaceae (bellflowers), Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckles), Adoxaceae (moschatel family), Apocynaceae (dogbanes), Bignoniaceae (bignonias), Boraginaceae (borage), Orobanchaceae (broomrapes), and Thymelaeaceae (mezereons).

Fossil record and evolutionary history

Paleobotanical records curated at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Field Museum include early core eudicot fossils from the Early Cretaceous reported in studies linked to teams at University of Texas at Austin and University of Alberta. Fossil calibration efforts by researchers at Princeton University and University of Chicago have incorporated specimens from Lagerstätten such as Yixian Formation, Crato Formation, and Green River Formation to time divergence estimates. Evolutionary scenarios advanced in syntheses by authors affiliated with Columbia University and Duke University integrate macroevolutionary models used by the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council.

Biogeography and ecology

Biogeographic analyses by collaborators at University of California, Davis, University of Edinburgh, Monash University, and University of Cape Town show core eudicots achieved wide distributions across continents including Eurasia, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica during warm intervals documented in records from the Paleogene and Neogene. Ecological studies by teams at Wageningen University, University of Helsinki, Imperial College London, and Rutgers University examine roles of core eudicot taxa in habitats like the Cerrado, Fynbos, Mediterranean Basin, and Boreal Forest and their interactions with pollinators studied in projects involving the Xerces Society and the Royal Entomological Society.

Economic and ecological importance

Core eudicot families underpin agriculture and industry with crops and commodities produced by stakeholders such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and companies headquartered near research centers like DuPont and Syngenta, including staples documented by the International Rice Research Institute and breeding programs at the United States Department of Agriculture. Economically pivotal genera represented in core eudicots include species utilized in beverages, timber, and horticulture tracked by organizations such as OIV and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and conservation assessments conducted by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International inform policies at bodies like the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Category:Angiosperm clades