In her post-doc, Ana is studying a mega diverse group of ferns, the Elaphoglossum (Dryopteridaceae). This group is remarkable by the diversity of habits, ranging from terrestrial, epiphytic, rupicolous, hemiepiphytic, and climbers. Here we want to understand what role the stem anatomy (rhizomes) plays in these many habit transitions,  searching for key characters possibly related to these transitions and putative synapomorphies of clades within this large lineage.

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