On the taxonomic position ofSilene thebana (Caryophyllaceae)

Silene thebana Orph. exBoiss. is transferred as a subspecies toS. fabaria (L.)Sm., resulting in the new combinationS. fabaria (L.)Sm. subsp.thebana (Orph. exBoiss.)Melzh. The chromosome count of 2n = 24 is recorded for the first time for this taxon.Dedicated to Prof. DrK. H. Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 16th October 1986.     

Giemsa karyotypes and their evolutionary significance inScilla bifolia,S. drunensis,andS. vindobonensis (Liliaceae)

Quantitatively evaluated C-banded and conventional karyograms are presented for the related speciesScilla bifolia subsp.danubialis Speta,S. drunensis (Speta)Speta, andS. vindobonensis Speta. On the basis of banding patterns and karyotype structureS. bifolia subsp.danubialis (2n = 18, 2×) andS. drunensis (2n = 36, 4×) are quite similar, whileS. vindobonensis (2n = 18, 2×) is entirely different. There is a moderate degree of karyotypic variation withinS. bifolia subsp.danubialis andS. drunensis. However, inS. vindobonensis karyotypes and banding patterns are almost completely stable over a geographical range of about 500 km. The present results confirm the recent taxonomic separation ofS. vindobonensis fromS. bifolia, and suggest a considerable phylogenetic distance between these two diploid species. The results are discussed with reference to the morphological characters of the species and their geographical distribution.Evolution ofScilla and Related Genera, II.Dedicated to Univ.-Prof. Dr.Elisabeth Tschermak-Woess on the occasion of her 60th birthday.     

Genetic variation inOrchis papilionacea (Orchidaceae) from the Central Mediterranean region: Taxonomic inferences at the intraspecific level

The genetic differentiation ofOrchis papilionacea from Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Greece was analyzed by isozyme studies. No significant differences at any of the 28 loci tested were observed between samples of the putative subspeciespapilionacea from Italy,grandiflora from Sicily andheroica from Greece, or by comparing sympatricpapilionacea-like andgrandiflora-like subsamples from Sardinia and Corsica. The genetic relationships found among the populations studied reflect more their geographic origin than their taxonomic assignment;papilionacea, grandiflora, andheroica are, therefore, at least in the study area, not to be considered as subspecies, but as simple morphs, controlled by few genes (possibly two) with Mendelian inheritance. The genetic divergence observed among the samples studied is very low and consistent with that of geographic populations of a single cohesive gene pool, linked by a high gene flow (Nm = 5.9).     

Veronica allahuekberensis (Scrophulariaceae), eine neue Art aus der Türkei

Veronica allahuekberensis A. Öztürk, spec. nova, probably endemic to the Allahuekber mountain in N.E. Anatolia, belongs toV. orientalis group of sectionVeronica and resemblesV. cuneifolia D. Don subsp.cuneifolia, endemic to S.W. Anatolia.

     

A taxonomical revision ofThymus sect.Teucrioides (Lamiaceae)

TheThymus teucrioides Boiss. & Spruner aggregate is revised and the following new taxa, all from the alpine zone in the Greek mountains, are described:Th. leucospermus Hartvig from the calcareous mountains of Pindhos and Mt Parnassos in Sterea Ellas,Th. rechingeri Hartvig with the subsp.macrocalyx Hartvig from calcareous mountains in Sterea Ellas and N Peloponnissos, andTh. teucrioides subsp.alpinus Hartvig from the serpentine areas of N Pindhos. In the variableTh. teucrioides s. str. many characters have turned out to be markedly geographically correlated and many local populations can be distinguished by a particular combination of characters.Dedicated to Prof.K. H. Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Morphometric analysis of disjunctPapaver radicatum (Papaveraceae) populations in southern Norway

Morphometric relationships between populations ofPapaver radicatum within the southern Norwegian mountains were investigated using canonical variates analysis andWard's clustering on capsule and leaf character sets. The survey describes patterns of variation among 13 wild-scored populations from five geographically disjunct localities, usually assigned to five races or subspecies. Our results from wild-collected material largely support earlier findings based on univariate statistics on cultivated material. In general, populations from within a disjunct locality (=subspecies) are most similar to other populations from the same locality. However, the subspecies vary in the degree to which they are differentiated in capsule morphology. The subsp.groevudalense populations are morphologically close to the main group of subsp.ovatilobum populations. Subspp.intermedium andoeksendalense are clearly distinct from one another and from the other subspecies, whereas the single subsp.gjaerevolli population is more similar to theovatilobum/groevudalense complex. Variation in leaf characters showed only partial congruence with variation in capsule characters. The pattern of morphological relationships among the subspecies is thus more complex than previously thought. The subspecies may have become differentiated during a period of isolation, but such results alone cannot indicate the duration of such a period.     

Chemical variation in two species of theLecanora subfusca group (Lecanoraceae,lichenizedAscomycotina)

The chemical variation inLecanora epibryon andL. subimmersa, two species of theL. subfusca group, has been examined. In both species the chemical differences are correlated with geographical distribution, but not with morphological differences. As a consequence the chemotypes are recognized at subspecific level. InL. epibryon three chemical races are segregated according to the various chemosyndromes present. Subspeciesepibryon, containing atranorin and triterpenoids, occurs in the northern hemisphere and South America, while the other two subspecies occur only in the southern hemisphere. The subsp.broccha (Nyl.)Lumbsch, comb. nova, contains atranorin, the stictic acid and the 2,5,7-trichloro-3-O-methylnorlichexanthone chemosyndromes, while subsp.xanthophora Lumbsch, subsp. nova, is similar but lacks the stictic acid chemosyndrome. Two chemical races occur in the pantropical speciesL. subimmersa. While subsp.subimmersa contains atranorin and zeorin, subsp.ramboldii Lumbsch & Elix, subsp. nova, contains an additional ten chlorinated xanthones.L. impressa is reduced to synonymy toL. subimmersa.     

Seed germination in the Sicilian subspecies of Dianthus rupicola Biv. (Caryophyllaceae)

Abstract

Five populations belonging to three subspecies of Dianthus rupicola Biv. (D. rupicola subsp. rupicola, D. rupicola subsp. aeolicus, and D. rupicola subsp. lopadusanus) and growing in different geographical areas of Sicily were tested for seed germination at various temperatures. All populations showed high germination rates with an optimum temperature between 15°C and 25°C. Efficient seed germination might contribute significantly to the preservation of these subspecies which are currently exposed to several environmental threats.     

mtDNA analysis reveals the ongoing speciation on Greek populations of Microtus (Terricola) thomasi (Arvicolidae,Rodentia)

The present article extends our previous work on the phylogenetic history of Microtus (Terricola) thomasi, analysing cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and the control region in 65 Greek populations. The analysis revealed three clades: one grouping the populations from Peloponnisos (Southern Greece); the second, the populations from Agios (Ag.) Stefanos and Evvoia island (Central East Greece); and the third, all the remaining populations with no geographical substructure. Genetic distances were low for most populations, with only the populations of Evvoia and Ag. Stefanos being substantially distant. Thus, although this species has a recent colonization history and probably descends from a highly polymorphic ancestor, a monophyletic and highly differentiated lineage is formed in Greece and is distributed in Ag. Stefanos and Evvoia. Molecular differentiation, distinct geographical distribution and restriction of gene flow between this lineage and the rest of the Greek populations provide evidence for its probable subspecific status, Microtus (Tericola) thomasi atticus. A possible mechanism leading the differentiation process of the proposed subspecies is suggested, based on the displacement of this species in central Greece by its congeneric, probably better‐fitted Microtus (Microtus) guentheri and the subsequent separation of Ag. Stefanos and Evvoia from the remaining Greek populations. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95 , 117–130.     

Cloning of the ribokinase gene of Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus in Staphylococcus carnosus

Summary A gene library with DNA of Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus was established in S. carnosus by using the plasmid vector pCT20. Two clones of S. carnosus were isolated which were able to ferment d-ribose. The two hybrid plasmids (pRib 1) and (pRib 2) were isolated and characterized. They contained inserted DNA fragments of S. hyicus subsp. hyicus with sizes of 10.2 and 8.2 kb, respectively. d-Ribose uptake and enzyme activities were studied. All strains tested [S. hyicus subsp. hyicus, S. carnosus (wild type) and the two S. carnosus clones] possessed an inducible uptake system for d-ribose. S. hyicus subsp. hyicus possessed in addition enzyme activities of d-ribokinase and d-ribose-5-P isomerase. None of these enzyme activities could be detected in S. carnosus (wildtype). Only in the S. carnosus clones containing (pRib 1) or (pRib 2) could a d-ribokinase activity be demonstrated, indicating that the gene for d-ribokinase of S. hyicus subsp. hyicus was cloned in S. carnosus.Abbreviations bp base pairs - C-TLC cellulose-thin layer chromoatography - kb kilo base pairs - pR_ib 1 and 2 ribokinase activity conferring hybridplasmids - MBq megabequerel - wt wild type     

Chloroplast DNA and isozyme evidence on the evolution ofSenecio vulgaris (Asteraceae)

Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and isozyme variation were analyzed over a range of populations of two infraspecific taxa of the tetraploidSenecio vulgaris. The isozyme data were supportive of the hypothesis that the weedy and cosmopolitanS. vulgaris var.vulgaris is an evolutionary derivative ofS. vulgaris subsp.denticulatus from the coasts of W Europe and montane altitudes in S Spain and Sicily. The two taxa exhibited a very high genetic identity with subsp.denticulatus containing slightly more isozyme diversity than was found in var.vulgaris. — Three cpDNA haplotypes (A, B, C) already known from other Mediterranean diploid species ofSenecio were resolved in var.vulgaris, and an additional fourth haplotype (E) was found in subsp.denticulatus. Two alternative hypotheses were chosen to account for the origin and maintenance of the observed cpDNA composition ofS. vulgaris. It either reflects (1) the retention of an ancestral polymorphism which stems from the recurrent and polytopic formation of ancestral tetraploid lineages; or (2)S. vulgaris originally was characterized by haplotype E, and haplotypes A, B and C were acquired through repeated introgressive hybridization with related diploid species. The finding that very low levels of nuclear (isozyme) diversity were present in both taxa ofS. vulgaris examined supports the second of these two hypotheses; however, more detailed analysis of nuclear genetic diversity is required before a firm conclusion can be reached on this matter.Dedicated to emer. Univ.-Prof. DrFriedrich Ehrendorfer on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Taxonomy and distribution of Poa carpatica in the Western Carpathians

We examined the taxonomic status and distribution of Poa populations from supramontane and subalpine belt of the central Western Carpathians, so far classified as P. nemoralis subsp. carpatica and P. nemoralis subsp. montana. Significant morphological differences from P. nemoralis s. str. as well as combination of shared vs distinct characters allow us to attribute the populations under study to the species P. carpatica (V. Jirásek) Chopyk with two subspecies: P. carpatica subsp. carpatica a P. carpatica subsp. supramontana subsp. nova.     

Comparative analysis of C-band karyotypes inCrepis praemorsa subsp.praemorsa and subsp.dinarica

Crepis incarnata subsp.dinarica (G. Beck)Hayek is nowadays considered as a subspecies ofC. praemorsa (L.)Tausch. Comparative analyses of Feulgen karyotypes demonstrate great similarities, but remarkable differences in the presence and the distribution of the constitutive heterochromatin in the two taxa are detected by using the Giemsa differential staining technique (C-banding). This favours their specific distinctness.     

Genetic characterization of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) populations from Greece using mitochondrial DNA sequences

Wild common carp from two lakes and two rivers in Greece were genetically characterized with sequencing analysis of two mitochondrial DNA segments: cytochrome b (1119 bp) and D-loop (646 bp). A total of 9 variable singleton sites and 7 unique haplotypes were detected. A common haplotype was found in three out of the four populations examined, which seems to be the ancestral one and represents the European origin of common carp from Greece. This haplotype could be also justified by the introductions reported with individuals belonging to the Central European race, into many natural habitats in Greece. Limited genetic variation — in Evros and Aliakmonas populations — could be due to bottleneck effects and small effective population sizes, whereas the different haplotypes found in Lake Volvi could represent different common carp stocks. Values of sequence divergence among Greek haplotypes ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0023. The Neighbour-Joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree constructed based on the combined sequences, reveals that the populations of common carp from Greece belong to the European group of populations — which is highly divergent from the South East-Asia cluster — and to the subspecies Cyprinus carpio carpio.     

Micromorphological and chemical characterisation of Stachys recta L. subsp. serpentini (Fiori) Arrigoni in comparison to Stachys recta L. subsp. recta (Lamiaceae)

Stachys recta L. is a very polymorphous species in which numerous subspecies were recognised. S. recta L. subsp. serpentini (Fiori) Arrigoni is a typical endemism growing on serpentine soils in northern Apennines and particularly in Tuscany (Italy). In order to contribute to a better knowledge of this plant and to its differentiation with respect to S. recta L. subsp. recta, the micromorphological characters (non-glandular and glandular trichomes) and the essential oil composition of the two subspecies were investigated. Micromorphological characters were studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, while light microscopy was used for histochemical observations. Essential oil analysis was carried out by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.In the two examined taxa, the morphology and distribution of glandular and non-glandular trichomes, and the different essential oil composition, may be considered distinctive characters at subspecies level. This is consistent with the taxonomic classification considering S. recta subsp. serpentini a subordinate taxon of S. recta.     

Variation and taxonomy ofFritillaria graeca (Liliaceae) in Greece

The geographic variation inFritillaria graeca, an endemic of Greece, is explored, using multivariate techniques. Eleven morphological features were measured in each of 630 individual plants from 38 localities throughout the range of the species.Scheffe's a posteriori test revealed an almost continuous geographic variation and did not identify groups clearly. Discriminant analysis of the groups derived from an F significance test ofMahalanobis distance resulted in five major groups on the first two discriminant axes representing the subspeciesgraeca, ionica, guicciardii, thessala and its var.othria. A diagnostic key to theF. graeca subspecies is provided.This paper is a part of a doctoral dissertation dealing withFritillaria in Greece, to be submitted to the department of Biology of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.     

Chromosome numbers and pollen fertility in the Senecio nemorensis group (Compositae) in the Carpathians

New chromosome numbers for two species from the Senecio nemorensis group: S. dacicus (2n = 40) and S. ucranicus (2n = 40) have been ascertained. The counts for S. germanicus Wallr. subsp. germanicus (2n = 40), S. hercynicus Herborg subsp. hercynicus (2n = 40), S. ovatus (P. Gaertn. et al.) Willd. subsp. ovatus (2n = 40) occurring in the Carpathians are also reported. The study confirmed only the known tetraploid chromosome number for the taxa of this group. The pollen fertility ranged from 82.09 to 92.99% in all examined species and subspecies, including their hybrids.     

Taxonomic and morphological studies inHypecoum sect.Hypecoum (Papaveraceae)

Hypecoum sect.Hypecoum comprises 8 species, one with 2 additional subspecies, in the Mediterranean area and the Middle East. Five of these are recognized for the first time, viz.Hypecoum procumbens L. subsp.fragrantissimum Å. E. Dahl,H. procumbens L. subsp.atropunctatum Å. E. Dahl,H. trullatum Å. E. Dahl,H. angustilobum Å. E. Dahl andH. torulosum Å. E. Dahl. H. dimidiatum Delile andH. pseudograndiflorum Petr., which have generally been included inH. imberbe Sm., are reestablished as distinct species. Morphology and variation patterns are described and discussed with special reference to mating systems. Self-incompatibility is dominating butH. procumbens subsp.procumbens andH. torulosum are self-compatible. The broad variation ranges of the former taxon in traits presumably related to mating system (petal, anther and stigma sizes as well as pollenovule ratios) indicate varying rates of outcrossing. SEM micrographs are given of petal and stigma surfaces and of pollen grains. Chromosome counts are presented for seven taxa. All are diploid with 2n = 16.     

Aspartate aminotransferase and alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes: Intraspecific differentiation inAegilops tauschii and the origin of the D genome polyploids in the wheat group

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT, EC 2.6.1.1) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, EC 1.1.1.1) isoenzymes reveals intraspecific differentiation ofAegilops tauschii Coss. (=Ae. squarrosa auct., non L.) into two groups of biotypes which essentially correspond to its two morphological subspecies, subsp.tauschii and subsp.strangulata (Eig)Tzvel. Subsp.tauschii which is characterized by a slower electromorph of AAT-B and a faster electromorph of ADH-A is identified as the contributor of its D genome to the tetraploidAe. cylindrica Host and the hexaploidAe. crassa Boiss. subsp.crassa. Subsp.strangulata, being distinguished by a faster electromorph of AAT-B and a slower electromorph of ADH-A, has contributed the D genome to the hexaploid bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L. emend.Thell.), the tetraploidsAe. crassa subsp.macrathera (Boiss.)Zhuk. andAe. ventricosa Tausch, and the hexaploidAe. juvenalis (Thell.)Eig. —Aegilops comosa Sibth. etSm. s. lat. is questioned as the contributor of the M genome toAe. crassa. Furthermore, the S genome diploidsAe. bicornis (Forsk.)Jaub. & Spach,Ae. longissima Schweinf. & Muschl. s. lat. andAe. searsii Feldman & Kislev are all considered unsuitable as the wheat B genome donors on the basis of the AAT isoenzyme data.     

Über zwei diploide,in Südwest-Anatolien endemische Arten aus dem Komplex derVeronica cymbalaria (Scrophulariaceae)

Veronica lycica Lehm. is a distinct, diploid member of theVeronica cymbalaria group, endemic in Lycia (S.W. Anatolia). Closely related is the newV. stamatiadae M. Fischer etW. Greuter which is also diploid and seems to be restricted to the small Greek island Ro close to the South coast of Lycia. The chromosome numbers for both species are reported for the first time (2n = 18).

Untersuchungen über den PolyploidkomplexVeronica cymbalaria agg., II. — Der erste Beitrag dieser Serie:Fischer (1975).