Arctic-alpine and serpentine differentiation in polyploid Potentilla crantzii.

Juraj Paule 1 , Filip Kolář 4 2 3 & Christoph Dobeš 6 5

Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Molecular Evolution, Senckenberg Research Institute, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
  2. National Centre for Biosystematics, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern 1172, NO-0318, Oslo, Norway
  3. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01 Prague, Czech Republic
  4. Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic
  5. Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmacobotany, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A–1090 Vienna, Austria
  6. current address: Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Department of Forest Genetics, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, A-1131 Vienna, Austria

Published: 26 June 2015

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Abstract

The link between polyploidy and the disjunct arctic-alpine European distribution of Potentilla crantzii was studied with particular reference to the role of serpentine habitats. Flow cytometry, AFLPs and cpDNA sequencing provided insights into ploidy level variation and the genetic structure of European populations. We recorded a ploidy differentiated arctic-alpine disjunction with tetraploids limited to the central- and southern-European mountain chains and hexaploids dominating in the Subarctic. Two lowland serpentine populations in the Czech Republic and Austria exhibited contrasting genetic patterns suggesting different evolutionary histories, with the tetraploid Czech population showing a conspicuously high genetic diversity. Finally, our genetic and cytological data did not support a distinct taxonomic status for the serpentine populations that were traditionally differentiated as P. crantzii subsp. serpentini.

Keywords

AFLP, cpDNA, polyploidy, Potentilla, Rosaceae, serpentine

How to cite

Paule J., Kolář F. & Dobeš C. (2015) Arctic-alpine and serpentine differentiation in polyploid Potentilla crantzii. – Preslia 87: 195–215