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Morphometric traits in the fine-leaved fescues depend on ploidy level: the case of Festuca amethystina L.

ABSTRACT: Background:Polyploid specimens are usually characterized by greater exuberance: they reach larger sizes and/or have a larger number of some organs. Festuca amethystina L. belongs to the section Aulaxyper. Based on morphological features, four subspecies of F. amethystina have been already identified. On the other hand, it has two cytotypes: diploid and tetraploid. The main aim of our study was to distinguish morphological differences between the cytotypes of F. amethystina, assuming that its phenotype differs significantly. Methods:The nuclear DNA content was measured by flow cytometry in dry leaves from specimens originating from 13 populations of F. amethystina. Several macrometric and micrometric traits of stems, spikelets and leaf blades were taken into account in the comparative analysis of two cytotypes. Results:In the case of cytotypes, specimens of tetraploids were larger than diploids. The conducted morphometric analysis of leaf cross-sections showed significant differences between the cytotypes. Discussion:The research has confirmed for the first time that in the case of F. amethystina the principle of greater exuberance of polyploids is true. Differences between the cytotypes are statistically significant, however, they are not enough to make easy the distinction of cytotypes on the basis of the measurements themselves. Our findings favor the rule known in Festuca taxonomy as a whole, i.e. that the ploidy level can be one of the main classification criteria.

SUBMITTER: Rewicz A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6160823 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Morphometric traits in the fine-leaved fescues depend on ploidy level: the case of <i>Festuca amethystina</i> L.

Rewicz Agnieszka A Tomczyk Przemysław Piotr PP Kiedrzyński Marcin M Zielińska Katarzyna Maria KM Jędrzejczyk Iwona I Rewers Monika M Kiedrzyńska Edyta E Rewicz Tomasz T

PeerJ 20180924

<h4>Background</h4>Polyploid specimens are usually characterized by greater exuberance: they reach larger sizes and/or have a larger number of some organs. <i>Festuca amethystina</i> L. belongs to the section <i>Aulaxyper</i>. Based on morphological features, four subspecies of <i>F. amethystina</i> have been already identified. On the other hand, it has two cytotypes: diploid and tetraploid. The main aim of our study was to distinguish morphological differences between the cytotypes of <i>F. am ...[more]

PMID: 30280016

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Project description:BackgroundMicrosatellite loci, or single sequence repeats (SSR), are widely used as powerful markers in population genetics. They represent an attractive tool for studying plants such as grasses, whose evolution is driven by hybridisation and polyploidization. However, the development of microsatellite markers has been challenging and time-consuming, especially for non-model organisms lacking available genome-wide sequence data. One straightforward and low-cost approach is to transfer the SSR loci developed for one species, or complex, to another closely-related one. This work evaluates the transferability of microsatellite loci from homoploid to allopolyploid complexes of fine-leaved Festuca species and to assess their use in two new species. The studied complex (F. amethystina-F. tatrae) is a useful model for research on the local adaptability of grasses with different ploidy levels. Since both species can be considered as rare or threatened (F. tatrae-as a mountain and narrow endemic species and F. amethystina-a mountain species with relict lowland populations), any tool enabling studies on genetic diversity and population genetics, such as SSR markers, could also be very useful in a conservation context.MethodsThe ploidy level within populations was estimated using flow cytometry. One diploid and one tetraploid population of F. amethystina and a diploid population of F. tatrae were chosen to test the transferability of SSR loci. Because our work describes the transfer of SSR nuclear markers designed originally for F. gautieri, a phylogenetic tree was prepared based on the ITS marker to assess the genetic distance between the studied complexes. The PCR products were separated on a high-resolution agarose gel, intended for SSR marker analysis. Appropriate solutions for the allotetraploid population and whole mixed-ploidy complex were implemented.ResultsFlow cytometry confirmed earlier data regarding DNA content in the investigated species and cytotypes. The phylogenetic ITS tree indicated a small genetic distance between F. gautieri complexes and the studied species. Ten microsatellite markers were successfully transferred. All markers were polymorphic. In total, 163 different alleles were scored from the 10 SSR loci. PCoA of accessions revealed well-separated groups corresponding to studied populations. Over 60% of the total variance is explained by differentiation within populations and one third among them.ConclusionsThe transferred markers are valid tools for the study of population genetics and inheritance relationships within cytotypes and species and between them. The presented markers can be used to study inbreeding depression in the Festuca species, and variations in the degrees of genetic diversity between different cytotypes in mountain and lowland areas. Our findings can also be applied to study conservation strategies for ensuring biodiversity at the genetic level in polyploid complexes.

Project description:Polyploidy and symbiotic Epichloë fungal endophytes are common and heritable characteristics that can facilitate environmental range expansion in grasses. Here we examined geographic patterns of polyploidy and the frequency of fungal endophyte colonized plants in 29 Festuca rubra L. populations from eight geographic sites across latitudes from Spain to northernmost Finland and Greenland. Ploidy seemed to be positively and negatively correlated with latitude and productivity, respectively. However, the correlations were nonlinear; 84% of the plants were hexaploids (2n = 6x = 42), and the positive correlation between ploidy level and latitude is the result of only four populations skewing the data. In the southernmost end of the gradient 86% of the plants were tetraploids (2n = 4x = 28), whereas in the northernmost end of the gradient one population had only octoploid plants (2n = 8x = 56). Endophytes were detected in 22 out of the 29 populations. Endophyte frequencies varied among geographic sites, and populations and habitats within geographic sites irrespective of ploidy, latitude or productivity. The highest overall endophyte frequencies were found in the southernmost end of the gradient, Spain, where 69% of plants harbored endophytes. In northern Finland, endophytes were detected in 30% of grasses but endophyte frequencies varied among populations from 0% to 75%, being higher in meadows compared to riverbanks. The endophytes were detected in 36%, 30% and 27% of the plants in Faroe Islands, Iceland and Switzerland, respectively. Practically all examined plants collected from southern Finland and Greenland were endophyte-free, whereas in other geographic sites endophyte frequencies were highly variable among populations. Common to all populations with high endophyte frequencies is heavy vertebrate grazing. We propose that the detected endophyte frequencies and ploidy levels mirror past distribution history of F. rubra after the last glaciation period, and local adaptations to past or prevailing selection forces such as vertebrate grazing.

Dataset Information

Morphometric traits in the fine-leaved fescues depend on ploidy level: the case of Festuca amethystina L.

Publications

Morphometric traits in the fine-leaved fescues depend on ploidy level: the case of <i>Festuca amethystina</i> L.

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