The Evolutionary Dynamics of Apomixis in Ferns: A Case Study from Polystichoid Ferns

Table 1

Summary of the recorded cases of apomixis in fern families. Natural occurring apomixis (excluding induced occurrences) was reported for about 242 species of ferns. These reports suggest apomictic occurrence of at least 3% of the currently estimated 10,000 to 11,000 fern species. Species rich fern families (>400 species) are marked in bold. The sequence of families follows Figure 1, families defined as in the most recent classifications of ferns [56, 57].

Family	NR APO	ASSO POLY	MULT ORG
Equisetaceae	0	NA	NA
Psilotaceae	0	NA	NA
Ophioglossaceae	1	++	NA
Marattiaceae	0	NA	NA
Osmundaceae	0	NA	NA
Hymenophyllaceae	8	++	++
Dipteridaceae	0	NA	NA
Gleicheniaceae	0	NA	NA
Matoniaceae	0	NA	NA
Anemiaceae	1	?	NA
Lygodiaceae	0	NA	NA
Schizaeaceae	0	NA	NA
Marsileaceae	0	NA	NA
Salviniaceae	0	NA	NA
Cibotiaceae	0	NA	NA
Culcitaceae	0	NA	NA
Cyatheaceae	0	NA	NA
Dicksoniaceae	0	NA	NA
Loxsomataceae	0	NA	NA
Metaxyaceae	0	NA	NA
Plagiogyriaceae	0	NA	NA
Cystodiaceae	0	NA	NA
Lindsaeaceae	9	++	++
Lonchitidaceae	0	NA	NA
Saccolomataceae	0	NA	NA
Dennstaedtiaceae	0	NA	NA
Pteridaceae	84	++	++
Aspleniaceae	20	++	++
Athyriaceae	16	++	++
Blechnaceae	1	?	NA
Cystopteridaceae	0	NA	NA
Diplaziopsidaceae	0	NA	NA
Hemidictyaceae	0	NA	NA
Onocleaceae	1	NA	NA
Rhachidosoraceae	0	NA	NA
Thelypteridaceae	5	++	++
Dryopteridaceae	87	++	++
Hypodematiaceae	1	?	NA
Lomariopsidaceae	0	NA	NA
Nephrolepidaceae	0	NA	NA
Tectariaceae	1	?	NA
Oleandraceae	0	NA	NA
Davalliaceae	2	++	++
Polypodiaceae	6	++	++

NR APO: number of species per family recorded to be apomictic; ASSO POLY: evidence for association of apomixis and polyploidy; MULT ORG: evidence for multiple origins of apomixis in this family considering existing phylogenetic evidence. Symbols: ++: yes, ?: unknown as a result of lack of evidence, NA: not applicable as an absence of apomixis or a single taxon with apomixis.