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Abstract Detail



Diversity and Development in the Vitaceae - More than Wine Grapes

Gerrath, Jean [1], Wen, Jun [2], Ickert-Bond, Stefanie [3].

Diversity and Development in the Vitaceae - More than Wine Grapes.

The Vitaceae (grape family) is a poorly studied group. Although the wine grape (Vitis vinifera L.) and some other species of Vitis are well understood horticulturally, the approximately 900 species and 14 genera of the Vitaceae have been neglected by botanists. Its previously enigmatic phylogenetic position has recently been resolved as sister to the rosids, in the Vitales. As such it has a unique and phylogenetically important position than was not previously recognized. We propose this symposium to highlight the diversity and botanical importance of the Vitaceae, stimulate interest in this understudied family, feature exciting new research, and encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. Jun Wen has spent nearly 10 years bringing her understanding of phylogeny and biogeography to the family, and has teased out the history of some of the complicated disjunct distributions found in genera such as Ampelopsis, Parthenocissus and Cissus.Steffi Ickert-Bond has recently brought her expertise in the anatomy of floral structure in both living and paleobotanical specimens to bear on an understanding of the range and variability of placentation types. Jean Gerrath will discuss the unusual inflorescence architectural patterns found in some clades and will integrate this with her studies of shoot architecture in the family over the past 25 years. Julie Kang has recently brought her expertise in comparative studies of simple and compound leaf development to the two clades of Ampelopsis using a number of developmental morphological and anatomical approaches. Annette Nassuth has been studying CBF genes (transcription factors known to be involved in cold tolerance) in Vitis riparia for 10 years, and has been exploring the correlation between gene expression and stomatal density in F1 hybrids of V. riparia and the V. vinifera cultivar "Riesling". Usher Posluszny, now retired, will bring together his observations on the phenology of Vitis riparia in contrast to the life histories of the tropical taxa he has studied over the past 25 years. This symposium will showcase some of the diverse biogeographic, life history, and morphological characteristics of the family, using both traditional and cutting-edge techniques. It will stimulate discussion of new approaches that could be used and questions that remain to better understand the diversification of this important but neglected (except at celebratory functions) family.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - University of Guelph, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, CANADA
2 - Smithsonian Institution, Botany, MRC-166 National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. & Constitution Ave., NW, MRC 166, Washington/DC, N/A, 20013-7012, USA
3 - University of Alaska Museum of The North, Herbarium (ALA) And Dept. of Biology And Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907 Yukon Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, 9074741510

Keywords:
Vitaceae
phylogeny
Development
Anatomy.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY07
Location: Prince of Wales/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 1:30 PM
Number: SY07SUM
Abstract ID:16
Candidate for Awards:None


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