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Genetic and morphological variation in the diploid–polyploid Alyssum montanum in Central Europe: taxonomic and evolutionary considerations

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Abstract

The genus Alyssum is one of the largest, yet least known genera of the Brassicaceae family. The present study focusses on the Central European populations of A. montanum, a species that is highly variable with respect to its morphology, ploidy levels and ecological requirements. This variation is naturally reflected in a number of recognised infraspecific taxa, and diverse opinions exist with regards to their value and circumscriptions. Based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), as well as morphometric and flow-cytometric evidence, we demonstrate here that the variation patterns contradict the current taxonomic concepts held for this species. Our data support the division of the analysed populations into the following groupings: (i) the ‘core’ group that includes most of the Central European diploid and tetraploid populations; (ii) the diploid ‘Swiss–SW German’ group, also including the population from the type locality of A. montanum; (iii) the hexaploid A. montanum subsp. pluscanescens, a Slovenian and Croatian endemic suggested to be of hybrid origin; and (iv) the diploid ‘Serbian’ group from the sand dunes of Deliblatska Peščara. A. repens, represented by a diploid population from Austria and tetraploid populations from Romania, is confirmed to be distinct from A. montanum. On the other hand, we suggest rejecting the recognition of A. montanum subsp. brymii, an assumed endemic of Slovakia and Hungary, and A. montanum subsp. montanum and subsp. gmelinii in their traditional circumscriptions.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Thomas Brodtbeck (Basel), Elżbieta Cieślak (Kraków), Jiří Danihelka (Brno), Marcus A. Koch, Juraj Paule (both Heidelberg), Lajos Somlyay (Budapest), Róbert Šuvada (Brzotín), Norbert Riezing (Környe) and Mike Thiv (Stuttgart) for their advice on the localities and/or assistance in the field. We also very much appreciate the plant samples sent to us by Jože Bavcon (Ljubljana), Rainer Cezanne and Sylvain Hodvina (Darmstadt), Vladislav Kolarčik (Košice) and Ivana Rešetnik (Zagreb). Special thanks go to the curators of the herbaria in Bratislava (BRA, SAV, SLO), Budapest (BP), Genève (G), Kraków (KRA, KRAM), Prague (PR, PRC), Stuttgart (STU), Vienna (W, WU) and Zürich (Z), for allowing us to access their collections. We acknowledge the financial support provided by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (grant no. LPP-0085-06 for the PhD project by S.Š.), by the Grant Agency VEGA, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (grant no. 0087 awarded to J.Z.-L.) and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (grant no. 0021620828 to K.M.). The Bioportal at the University of Oslo provided us with computing time and facilities. The studies of the herbarium specimens in the WU and BP herbaria were supported by the EU FP6 SYNTHESYS project (fellowships no. AT-TAF-4244 and HU-TAF-4276 to S.Š.). The flow-cytometric equipment used in this study was purchased with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to J.Z.-L. and K.M., which is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 845 23, Slovak Republic

    Stanislav Španiel, Karol Marhold, Barbora Filová & Judita Zozomová-Lihová

  2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, Praha, 128 01, Czech Republic

    Karol Marhold

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  1. Stanislav Španiel
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Španiel, S., Marhold, K., Filová, B. et al. Genetic and morphological variation in the diploid–polyploid Alyssum montanum in Central Europe: taxonomic and evolutionary considerations. Plant Syst Evol 294, 1–25 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-011-0438-y

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