Datasets for paper "Frequent Ancient Hybridization Shape the Confounding Phylogeny of Pandanales"

The phylogeny of Pandanales, an order of monocots comprising five distinct families (Cyclanthaceae, Pandanaceae, Stemonaceae, Triuridaceae, and Velloziaceae), has long been contentious, particularly concerning the placement of Triuridaceae. Previous phylogenetic studies have produced conflicting results, partly due to the limited scope of molecular data. In this study, we leveraged large-scale transcriptome sequencing from 17 Pandanales species and three outgroup samples, combined with whole-genome data for Acanthochlamys bracteata, to conduct a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis. Using both concatenation and coalescent-based methods, we generated a well-supported phylogeny for the group, revealing significant gene tree-species tree discordance. Our hybridization analyses revealed that ancient hybridization played a crucial role in shaping the evolutionary history of the Pandanaceae and Triuridaceae, providing a compelling explanation for the conflicting phylogenetic results in earlier studies. Additionally, whole-genome duplication (WGD) analyses identified five distinct WGD events across the order, suggesting these events played a critical role in the ecological diversification of the families. Our findings resolve key phylogenetic conflicts in Pandanales and underscore the importance of integrating hybridization detection and WGD analysis in understanding plant evolutionary history.