Completing the Tree of Life of Gentianales: an update from the Plant and Fungal Trees of Life (PAFTOL) project and related research initiatives

Abstract

The tree o f life is a fundamental scientific knowledge for the exploration, prediction, and application o f the properties o f life on Earth. From the identification o f species new to Science to the discovery o f novel biomolecules or crops, the potential o f the tree of life is immense but is yet to be fully explored because many o f the tree’s branches remain unknown. The first phase of the PAFTOL project at the RBG Kew successfiilly led, in partnerships with other institutions, to the development of a universal bait kit for target enrichment sequencing in flowering plañís (Angiosperms353) and to the sequencing o f more than 50% o f the ca 13,600 genera. The molecular data generated were used in a wide number o f studies highlighting the power o f the approach for research in taxonomy, phylogenetics, and biogeography questions. PAFTOL subscribes to an open data agenda and aims to release its data early viathe Tree o f Life Explorer (https://treeoflife. kew.org/). This portal provides access to raw data, intermedíate producís (i.e. assembled data, alignments, gene trees) and a navigable tree of life based on all released datato date. The second phase of PAFTOL was launched with the aim o f producing phylogenomic data for the remaining genera of Angiosperms. Among the largest orders, Gentianales is a priority group for which a large collaborating group was assembled, to source material and collaborate on research outputs. In this presentation, we report our progress towards completing a genus-level phylogeny for the estimated 1,100 genera o f Gentianales. We discuss initiatives that take advantage o f the data generated, including research to accelerate drug discovery, as well as species level studies using the Angiosperms353 probes to resolve relationships in the economically important taxonomic group, the Asclepias generic complex (Apocynaceae) and assist in the identification o f putative new species o f Faramea (Rubiaceae).