English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The genus  Anthoxanthum  (sweet vernal grass, Poaceae) represents a taxonomically intricate polyploid complex with large phenotypic variation and its evolutionary relationships still poorly resolved. In order to get insight into the geographic distribution of ploidy levels and assess the taxonomic value of genome size data, we determined C- and Cx-values in 628 plants representing all currently recognized European species collected from 197 populations in 29 European countries. The flow cytometric estimates were supplemented by conventional chromosome counts.  In addition to diploids, we found two low (rare 3x and common 4x) and one high (~16x–18x) polyploid levels. Mean holoploid genome sizes ranged from 5.52 pg in diploid  A .  alpinum  to 44.75 pg in highly polyploid  A .  amarum , while the size of monoploid genomes ranged from 2.75 pg in tetraploid  A .  alpinum  to 9.19 pg in diploid  A .  gracile . In contrast to Central and Northern Europe, which harboured only limited cytological variation, a much more complex pattern of genome sizes was revealed in the Mediterranean, particularly in Corsica. Eight taxonomic groups that partly corresponded to traditionally recognized species were delimited based on genome size values and phenotypic variation. Whereas our data supported the merger of  A .  aristatum  and  A .  ovatum , eastern Mediterranean populations traditionally referred to as diploid  A .  odoratum  were shown to be cytologically distinct, and may represent a new taxon. Autopolyploid origin was suggested for 4x  A .  alpinum . In contrast, 4x  A .  odoratum  seems to be an allopolyploid, based on the amounts of nuclear DNA. Intraspecific variation in genome size was observed in all recognized species, the most striking example being the  A .  aristatum/ovatum  complex.  Altogether, our study showed that genome size can be a useful taxonomic marker in  Anthoxathum  to not only guide taxonomic decisions but also help resolve evolutionary relationships in this challenging grass genus.

Evolutionary and Taxonomic Implications of Variation in Nuclear Genome Size: Lesson from the Grass Genus Anthoxanthum (Poaceae)