The results from empirical studies on the impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation of... more The results from empirical studies on the impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation of populations are controversial, ranging from negative to positive effects. This contradiction has been attributed to either species characteristics (e.g. plant life history) or environmental components (e.g. the scale of habitat fragmentation). To examine the role of DNA marker types on these effects, we carried out a comparative study of seven populations of Capparis spinosa L. (caper, Capparaceae) using ISSR markers and compared these results with those obtained previously using RAPD markers. Although both ISSR and RAPD markers showed high consistency and indicated that genetic variation in populations was not correlated with either geographical distance (P ≥ 0.47, P ≥ 0.83; for ISSR and RAPD, respectively) or altitude (P ≥ 0.535, P ≥ 0.419; for ISSR and RAPD respectively), the levels of variation were related to population size. ISSR analysis showed that genetic variation did not sign...
Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciat... more Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciation, it is necessary to examine fertility and crossability of hybrids. A hybrid clone of the genus Fragaria with different and complex morphology compared to F. vesca, F. viridis and F. moschata, was detected in Germany (in Bayreuth, Bavaria). The genome size of these plants was measured using flow cytometry and their fertility was tested in experimental crossing. The parental origin of the hybrid was revealed using RAPD approach. From the mean intensity of fluorescence emitted by PI-stained nuclei for F. moschata, F. vesca, F. viridis and the hybrid, triploidy of the hybrid could be indicated. The hybrid shared an 1800bp and 880bp long species-specific RAPDs bands with F. viridis and F. vesca, respectively, indicating them as the parental species of the hybrid. The hybrid did not produce any fruit in selfing, open pollination and when crossed by pollen of F. vesca and F. viridis, all sh...
The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia,... more The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. The fruit set was recorded for the latter 3 species and compared in natural and control groups (pollinators prevented) for D. romana and O. scolopax. We compared the obtained fruit set values with those reported from other regions. The distributions of the 5 species were completely fragmented and the population sizes were extremely small. This is the first report of O. scolopax from the region, recorded only in a remote location with a population of about 44 plants. The average fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax found in nature were significantly higher than those of the control groups (27% compared to 16%, N = 67, P < 0.001; and 10.4% compared to 3.04%, N = 44, P < 0.02, respectively). We located 20 plants of P. bifolia in 2 di...
Different life history traits affect the genetic structure of plant species. We investigated the ... more Different life history traits affect the genetic structure of plant species. We investigated the impact of habit form on intraspecific genetic variation in ten Trifolium species, by randomly sampling ten genotypes of each species using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Six of eleven primers produced a total of 108 clear and reproducible polymorphic bands. Numbers and levels of polymorphic ISSR bands ranged from 18 and 16.67% in T. hirtum to 81 and 75% in T. hybridum, and intraspecific Nei’s diversity ranged from 0.0599 to 0.2648 in these species. The polymorphic ISSR loci in annual species varied from 16.67 to 52.78% with a mean of 38.90%, and in perennials from 46.30 to 75.00% (mean 58.49%). The results indicate that intraspecific genetic variation in annuals is significantly lower than in perennials (P < 0.04, n = 10). The ISSR-based UPAGMA dendrogram based on Nei’s distances supported the classification of sections proposed by internal transcribed spacer sequence data oppo...
Studies on plants show that populations growing on the stressful environments indicate higher lev... more Studies on plants show that populations growing on the stressful environments indicate higher levels of genetic diversity, and that in outcrossing species majority of total genetic variation allocated to within population rather than between populations. We compared the level of genetic variation between populations growing in stressful and normal environments, and measured levels of within- and between population genetic variations in Onobrychis viciifolia L. (Sainfoin, Fabaceae) based on RAPDs. Our results show that populations growing on the stressful environment i.e. saline soils indicated either the lowest (0.2466) or highest (0.3186) within-population genetic variation based on Nei's diversity. That disagrees with Niche-Width Variation Theory, which expects highest genetic diversity within stressful populations. Partitioning the total genetic variation by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 89.03% of total genetic diversity allocated to within populations wh...
Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciat... more Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciation, it is necessary to examine fertility and crossability of hybrids. A hybrid clone of the genus Fragaria with different and complex morphology compared to F. vesca, F. viridis and F. moschata, was detected in Germany (in Bayreuth, Bavaria). The genome size of these plants was measured using flow cytometry and their fertility was tested in experimental crossing. The parental origin of the hybrid was revealed using RAPD approach. From the mean intensity of fluorescence emitted by PI-stained nuclei for F. moschata, F. vesca, F. viridis and the hybrid, triploidy of the hybrid could be indicated. The hybrid shared an 1800bp and 880bp long species-specific RAPDs bands with F. viridis and F. vesca, respectively, indicating them as the parental species of the hybrid. The hybrid did not produce any fruit in selfing, open pollination and when crossed by pollen of F. vesca and F. viridis, all sh...
Th e relationship between genetic similarity and larger geographical distance among populations o... more Th e relationship between genetic similarity and larger geographical distance among populations of plant species has been attributed to a number of diff erent factors mostly breeding systems. We assessed this relationship among fi ve accessions of selfi ng legume Lathyrus sativus L. (grass peas, Fabaceae) using RAPDs by including 10 random ly selected individuals from each accession. Five primers produced 73 clear, reproducible and scorable polymorphic bands. Th e percentage polymorphic bands ranged from 20.6% in German to 60.3% in Polish accessions. Th e range of Nei's within-accession genetic diversity was wide, ranging from 0.075 in German to 0.25 in Polish accessions. Partitioning of total genetic diversity by AMOVA indicated 76.44% genetic diversity among accessions and 23.56% within accessions, indicating that L. sativus is a selfi ng species. Th e shortest genetic distance was detected between German and Iranian accessions (0.202), while the greatest genetic distance was ...
Abstract: The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orc... more Abstract: The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. The fruit set ...
Crossing experiments in Fragaria have frequently resulted in some matroclinal progeny. These have... more Crossing experiments in Fragaria have frequently resulted in some matroclinal progeny. These have been attributed to either accidental selfing and/or pollen contamination, or apomixis. In this study 202 carefully controlled intra and interspecific ...
Th e distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia... more Th e distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. Th e fruit set was recorded for the latter 3 species and compared in natural and control groups (pollinators prevented) for D. romana and O. scolopax. We compared the obtained fruit set values with those reported from other regions. Th e distributions of the 5 species were completely fragmented and the population sizes were extremely small. Th is is the fi rst report of O. scolopax from the region, recorded only in a remote location with a population of about 44 plants. Th e average fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax found in nature were signifi cantly higher than those of the control groups (27% compared to 16%, N = 67, P < 0.001; and 10.4% compared to 3.04%, N = 44, P < 0.02, respectively). We located 20 plants of P. bifolia in 2 diff erent locations with an average fruit set of 62.7%. Only 2 O. simia plants were found in the region. Our data show that pollinators have a signifi cant role in the fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax and that the orchids studied require urgent conservation action.
The results from empirical studies on the impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation of... more The results from empirical studies on the impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation of populations are controversial, ranging from negative to positive effects. This contradiction has been attributed to either species characteristics (e.g. plant life history) or environmental components (e.g. the scale of habitat fragmentation). To examine the role of DNA marker types on these effects, we carried out a comparative study of seven populations of Capparis spinosa L. (caper, Capparaceae) using ISSR markers and compared these results with those obtained previously using RAPD markers. Although both ISSR and RAPD markers showed high consistency and indicated that genetic variation in populations was not correlated with either geographical distance (P ≥ 0.47, P ≥ 0.83; for ISSR and RAPD, respectively) or altitude (P ≥ 0.535, P ≥ 0.419; for ISSR and RAPD respectively), the levels of variation were related to population size. ISSR analysis showed that genetic variation did not sign...
Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciat... more Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciation, it is necessary to examine fertility and crossability of hybrids. A hybrid clone of the genus Fragaria with different and complex morphology compared to F. vesca, F. viridis and F. moschata, was detected in Germany (in Bayreuth, Bavaria). The genome size of these plants was measured using flow cytometry and their fertility was tested in experimental crossing. The parental origin of the hybrid was revealed using RAPD approach. From the mean intensity of fluorescence emitted by PI-stained nuclei for F. moschata, F. vesca, F. viridis and the hybrid, triploidy of the hybrid could be indicated. The hybrid shared an 1800bp and 880bp long species-specific RAPDs bands with F. viridis and F. vesca, respectively, indicating them as the parental species of the hybrid. The hybrid did not produce any fruit in selfing, open pollination and when crossed by pollen of F. vesca and F. viridis, all sh...
The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia,... more The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. The fruit set was recorded for the latter 3 species and compared in natural and control groups (pollinators prevented) for D. romana and O. scolopax. We compared the obtained fruit set values with those reported from other regions. The distributions of the 5 species were completely fragmented and the population sizes were extremely small. This is the first report of O. scolopax from the region, recorded only in a remote location with a population of about 44 plants. The average fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax found in nature were significantly higher than those of the control groups (27% compared to 16%, N = 67, P < 0.001; and 10.4% compared to 3.04%, N = 44, P < 0.02, respectively). We located 20 plants of P. bifolia in 2 di...
Different life history traits affect the genetic structure of plant species. We investigated the ... more Different life history traits affect the genetic structure of plant species. We investigated the impact of habit form on intraspecific genetic variation in ten Trifolium species, by randomly sampling ten genotypes of each species using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Six of eleven primers produced a total of 108 clear and reproducible polymorphic bands. Numbers and levels of polymorphic ISSR bands ranged from 18 and 16.67% in T. hirtum to 81 and 75% in T. hybridum, and intraspecific Nei’s diversity ranged from 0.0599 to 0.2648 in these species. The polymorphic ISSR loci in annual species varied from 16.67 to 52.78% with a mean of 38.90%, and in perennials from 46.30 to 75.00% (mean 58.49%). The results indicate that intraspecific genetic variation in annuals is significantly lower than in perennials (P < 0.04, n = 10). The ISSR-based UPAGMA dendrogram based on Nei’s distances supported the classification of sections proposed by internal transcribed spacer sequence data oppo...
Studies on plants show that populations growing on the stressful environments indicate higher lev... more Studies on plants show that populations growing on the stressful environments indicate higher levels of genetic diversity, and that in outcrossing species majority of total genetic variation allocated to within population rather than between populations. We compared the level of genetic variation between populations growing in stressful and normal environments, and measured levels of within- and between population genetic variations in Onobrychis viciifolia L. (Sainfoin, Fabaceae) based on RAPDs. Our results show that populations growing on the stressful environment i.e. saline soils indicated either the lowest (0.2466) or highest (0.3186) within-population genetic variation based on Nei's diversity. That disagrees with Niche-Width Variation Theory, which expects highest genetic diversity within stressful populations. Partitioning the total genetic variation by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 89.03% of total genetic diversity allocated to within populations wh...
Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciat... more Allopolyploidy has played an important role in the plant evolution. To assess its role in speciation, it is necessary to examine fertility and crossability of hybrids. A hybrid clone of the genus Fragaria with different and complex morphology compared to F. vesca, F. viridis and F. moschata, was detected in Germany (in Bayreuth, Bavaria). The genome size of these plants was measured using flow cytometry and their fertility was tested in experimental crossing. The parental origin of the hybrid was revealed using RAPD approach. From the mean intensity of fluorescence emitted by PI-stained nuclei for F. moschata, F. vesca, F. viridis and the hybrid, triploidy of the hybrid could be indicated. The hybrid shared an 1800bp and 880bp long species-specific RAPDs bands with F. viridis and F. vesca, respectively, indicating them as the parental species of the hybrid. The hybrid did not produce any fruit in selfing, open pollination and when crossed by pollen of F. vesca and F. viridis, all sh...
Th e relationship between genetic similarity and larger geographical distance among populations o... more Th e relationship between genetic similarity and larger geographical distance among populations of plant species has been attributed to a number of diff erent factors mostly breeding systems. We assessed this relationship among fi ve accessions of selfi ng legume Lathyrus sativus L. (grass peas, Fabaceae) using RAPDs by including 10 random ly selected individuals from each accession. Five primers produced 73 clear, reproducible and scorable polymorphic bands. Th e percentage polymorphic bands ranged from 20.6% in German to 60.3% in Polish accessions. Th e range of Nei's within-accession genetic diversity was wide, ranging from 0.075 in German to 0.25 in Polish accessions. Partitioning of total genetic diversity by AMOVA indicated 76.44% genetic diversity among accessions and 23.56% within accessions, indicating that L. sativus is a selfi ng species. Th e shortest genetic distance was detected between German and Iranian accessions (0.202), while the greatest genetic distance was ...
Abstract: The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orc... more Abstract: The distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. The fruit set ...
Crossing experiments in Fragaria have frequently resulted in some matroclinal progeny. These have... more Crossing experiments in Fragaria have frequently resulted in some matroclinal progeny. These have been attributed to either accidental selfing and/or pollen contamination, or apomixis. In this study 202 carefully controlled intra and interspecific ...
Th e distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia... more Th e distribution and population size of 5 orchid species (Cephalanthera longifolia, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Dactylorhiza romana, and Ophrys scolopax) were studied in the southern Caucasus based on the individual numbers in a given area. Th e fruit set was recorded for the latter 3 species and compared in natural and control groups (pollinators prevented) for D. romana and O. scolopax. We compared the obtained fruit set values with those reported from other regions. Th e distributions of the 5 species were completely fragmented and the population sizes were extremely small. Th is is the fi rst report of O. scolopax from the region, recorded only in a remote location with a population of about 44 plants. Th e average fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax found in nature were signifi cantly higher than those of the control groups (27% compared to 16%, N = 67, P < 0.001; and 10.4% compared to 3.04%, N = 44, P < 0.02, respectively). We located 20 plants of P. bifolia in 2 diff erent locations with an average fruit set of 62.7%. Only 2 O. simia plants were found in the region. Our data show that pollinators have a signifi cant role in the fruit sets of D. romana and O. scolopax and that the orchids studied require urgent conservation action.
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