Leiden University Scholarly Publications

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Ruchisansakun, S. (2018)

Balsaminaceae in Southeast Asia: systematics, evolution, and pollination biology

Doctoral Thesis
Balsaminaceae is a diverse plant family characterized by a huge floral morphological diversity. Its classification has changed many times throughout the taxonomic history of the group, owing to the emphasis on particular diagnostic characters. This suggests that patterns of character evolution are labile and do not contain much phylogenetic signal. This appears particularly prevalent among floral characters, suggesting that floral evolution and pollination ecology may be important drivers of diversification in the family. Further complications in taxonomy arise from the fact that one of the two genera of the family, Impatiens, has a very large number of species, and that it is distributed across several continents. This has led to a lack of taxonomic effort, especially those regions where very few studies have been done, despite large species diversity. In this thesis, I filled particular gaps in knowledge of Balsaminaceae, focusing on issues related to...Show moreBalsaminaceae is a diverse plant family characterized by a huge floral morphological diversity. Its classification has changed many times throughout the taxonomic history of the group, owing to the emphasis on particular diagnostic characters. This suggests that patterns of character evolution are labile and do not contain much phylogenetic signal. This appears particularly prevalent among floral characters, suggesting that floral evolution and pollination ecology may be important drivers of diversification in the family. Further complications in taxonomy arise from the fact that one of the two genera of the family, Impatiens, has a very large number of species, and that it is distributed across several continents. This has led to a lack of taxonomic effort, especially those regions where very few studies have been done, despite large species diversity. In this thesis, I filled particular gaps in knowledge of Balsaminaceae, focusing on issues related to the Southeast Asian region, including the taxonomic revision of this family in Myanmar (Chapter 2-4), molecular phylogeny and morphological character evolution of Impatiens sect. Semeiocardium (Chapter 5), comparative pollination biology of 7 sympatric Impatiens species in Thailand (Chapter 6), and evolution of corolla symmetry and pollination system of this family (Chapter 7).Show less
Balsaminaceae
Impatiens
Southeast Asia
Myanmar
Pollination Biology
Evolution
Plant systematic
Floral symmetry
Asymmetric flower
Pollen placement
All authors
Ruchisansakun, S.
Supervisor
Smets, E.F.
Co-supervisor
Niet, T. van der; Janssens, S.B.
Committee
Spaink, H.P.; Welzen, P.C. van; Gravendeel, B.; Fischer, E.; Weigend, M.
Qualification
Doctor (dr.)
Awarding Institution
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Faculty of Science, Leiden University
Date
2018-09-19
ISBN (print)
9789463323918

Funding

Sponsorship
Development and Promotion of Science and Technology talents project (DPST), Scholarship The Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) Thailand.