Species relationships inFestuca (sect.Ovinae,Poaceae)

Morphological and seed protein studies of selected species ofFestuca were performed to elucidate the relationships between species of sect.Ovinae and their affinity with other fescues.Festuca rubra andF. heterophylla (extravaginale group) had higher phenetic affinity with taxa of sect.Scariosae, Montanae andBovinae than with members of their own section. 5 species of the intravaginale group (F. ovina, F. capillata, F. valesiaca, F. sulcata, F. trachyphylla) were fairly uniform and well defined by protein and morphological data. This supports current systematic thinking and does not agree withHackel's (1882) classification of this group.     

Chusquea sect. Swallenochloa (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) and allies in Brazil

The 13 high altitude/latitude, dwarf species ofChusquea in Brazil are described, illustrated, and mapped, and their morphology, habitats, distributions, and taxonomic affinities are discussed. Two keys to species are provided, one based solely on vegetative characters, and the other on vegetative and flowering characters.Chusquea erecta, C. nutans, C. riosaltensis,C. windischii, C. caparaoensis, andC. nudiramea are described as new, andC. microphylla is elevated to specific status. Two subspecies are recognized within the variableC. mimosa: C. mimosa subsp.australis and subsp.mimosa. Seven species are formally classified withinChusquea sect.Swallenochloa; the remaining six species are classified into two informal categories, theNudiramea andHeterophylla groups. A list of all the species currently included withinChusquea sect.Swallenochloa is provided.     

Differentiation of fourHordeum sect.Stenostachys spp. (Poaceae: Triticeae) using multivariate morphometrics

Field collections and 296 herbarium sheets were examined for 27 morphometric variables. A priori species identifcation was based on geographical distribution except forH. californicum, a diploid species primarily occurring in California and differing from the much more widespread tetraploidH. brachyantherum that thrives in N. America and N.E. Asia;H. capense grows in S. Africa andH. secalinum mainly in Europe. Various cluster analyses were used followed by cluster recovery verification. Classificatory discriminant analysis and validation by the bootstrap yielded 85–90% overall total correct classification of the four species. Canonical analysis revealed thatH. californicum occupies an intermediate phenetic position among the other three distinct species. Factors of shape differences were unravelled and portrayed by shearing. A revised key to species was drawn up.     

Cytotaxonomy and karyotype evolution inPhleum sect.Phleum (Poaceae) in Poland

Three taxa are distinguished in the sectionPhleum Griseb. in Poland:P. nodosum (2n = 14),P. pratense (2n = 42), and the third one unformally named hereP. commutatum (2n = 14). It corresponds morphologically toP. commutatum Gaud. reported as a tetraploid taxon (2n = 28) from other geographic regions. Giemsa C-banded karyotypes of these three taxa help clarify the taxonomic status ofP. commutatum and the origin of the hexaploidP. pratense. It is suggested that changes in the amount of telomeric heterochromatin played an important role in the evolution ofPhleum karyotypes.     

Multivariate morphometric study of theCardamine pratensis group (Cruciferae) in the Carpathian and Pannonian area

A multivariate morphometric study of theCardamine pratensis group is presented, based on 84 population samples collected from the Carpathian and Pannonian area in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, and Romania. Among the multivariate methods, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and classificatory and canonical discriminant analysis were used. The analysis of chromosome numbers from all populations studied showed wide variation. The morphometric study showed that not all groups of populations characterised by their chromosome numbers and geographical criteria are morphologically, and thus taxonomically, distinguishable. Besides the morphologically well characterised speciesCardamine dentata andC. rivularis, the following species were recognised in the area studied:C. matthioli, C. majovskii andC. pratensis. Within the last species, besides the typical populations, two diploid types are provisionally recognised: type ucranica and type rivularis auct..     

Multivariate analysis of morphometric differentiation within the Laonice cirrata-group (Polychaeta, Spionidae)

Principal component, and canonical variate analysis based on six characters show that there are morphological differences between three Laonice forms (L. bahusiensis, L. sarsi, and Laonice sp.). This supports Söderström's division of L. cirrata into four species; a decision often questioned by other taxonomists. We cannot exclude the possibility that the morphological differences are caused by polymorphism or seasonal variation within a single species. There is, however, no information to vindicate this and we conclude that the three forms should be regarded as separate species until this hypothesis can be rejected.     

Stipa narynica sp. nov. (Poaceae) from the western Tian‐Shan Mountains

Stipa narynica M. Nobis sp. nov. from the western Tian‐Shan Mts (western Kyrgyzstan) is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to sect. Smirnovia Tzvel. Morphologically the species is similar to S. aktauensis, a species from which it is easily distinguished by its longer glumes (41–)44–55(–62) mm vs 35–45 mm, longer anthecium (11.5–) 12.0–14.2(–14.8) mm vs 9.5–11.2(–11.7) mm, longer hairs on the seta (5.5–)6.0–8.0(–8.5) mm vs (3.0–)3.8–5.5(–6.0) mm and by the top of the lemma which in S. narynica is either glabrous or with a poorly developed ring of short hairs, while in S. aktauensis, the top of lemma is always distinctly and densely pilose. The lemma and leaf blade structure of both species were examined by means of SEM. The main features differentiating S. narynica and S. aktauensis and distribution of the taxa are presented. An original key to the middle Asiatic species of the sect. Smirnovia, the most similar to Stipa narynica is provided.     

Multivariate morphometric and allozymic analysis of theConospermum taxifolium (Proteaceae) species complex

A morphometric analysis of 18 attributes of 110 plants of theConospermum taxifolium complex suggests that it consists of three polythetically distinct taxa, corresponding to the traditional concepts ofC. taxifolium Smith s. str.,C. ericifolium Smith andC. ellipticum Smith. Discrimination is possible on the basis of leaf but not flower attributes. Analysis of allozymic variation indicates that the taxa are also genotypically differentiated.C. ericifolium andC. ellipticum are geographically isolated from each other but not fromC. taxifolium, andC. taxifolium is usually ecologically segregated from the other two taxa. Where this ecological segregation breaks down, morphological intermediates sometimes occur as the result of hybridization.     

Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Stipa krylovii (Poaceae) in the Mongolian steppe

We examined arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonizing the roots of Stipa krylovii, a grass species dominating the grasslands of the steppe zone in Hustai and Uvurkhangai in Mongolia. The AM fungal communities of the collected S. krylovii roots were examined by molecular analysis based on the partial sequences of a small subunit of ribosomal RNA gene as well as AM fungal colonization rates. Almost all AM fungi detected were in Glomus-group A, and were divided into 10 phylotypes. Among them, one phylotype forming a clade with G. intraradices and G. irregulare was the most dominant. Furthermore, it was also found that most of the phylotypes include AM fungi previously detected in high altitude regions in the Eurasian Continent. Significant correlations were found among soil total N, total plant biomass and AM fungal colonization ratio, which suggested that higher plant biomass may be required for the proliferation of AM fungi in the environment. Meanwhile, redundancy analysis on AM fungal distribution and environmental variables suggested that the effect of plant biomass and most soil chemical properties on the AM fungal communities were not significant.     

Genomic relationships within theElymus parviglumis group (Triticeae: Poaceae)

Genomic relationships of 13 tetraploid species within the AsiaticElymus parviglumis group containing the SY genomes were assessed by analysing chromosome pairing at metaphase I of the parental species and their interspecific hybrids. Two major genomic subgroups among the tetraploids were identified from the cluster analysis of the averaged c-values, namely, theE. caucasicus subgroup (two species) and theE. parviglumis subgroup (11 species). The genomic affinity of theElymus species is associated with the interspecific geographic distance.After October 1, 1993     

Biosystematic studies of the Elymus hispidus (Poaceae: Triticeae) group in Iran

Biosystematic studies on the Elymus hispidus group included investigations on morphological characters and variability in cultivation, crossing experiments, hybrid fertility and meiotic configuration in hybrids. Elymus gentry! is a distinct species with a different altitudinal distribution from that of E. hispidus. Morphological characters which have been used to split E. hispidus into distinct species or subspecies are not constant in cultivation. The majority of the cultivated plants were morphologically similar to the maternal individuals from which seed was collected in the field. However, in some accessions the offspring represented different morphological variants when cultivated. Hybrids between different variants were fertile and showed regular meiosis. Different variants within the E. hispidus group tend to grow in different habitats and as characters to some extent show constancy in cultivation, three varieties, var. hispidus , var. podperae and var. villosus are recognized for E. hispidus in Iran.     

Evolutionary patterns in the Dilatata group (Paspalum, Poaceae)

Paspalum dilatatum Poir. and its related species are warm-season grasses native to the grasslands of temperate South America. The group comprises several sexual tetraploid forms and apomictic tetraploids, pentaploids, hexaploids, and heptaploids. Interest in several of these biotypes as forage grasses has led to the accumulation of abundant cytogenetic information, evolutionary hypotheses, and thorough field studies which make the group a very promising model for analysis of evolutionary processes in apomictic complexes. Microsatellite markers were used here to analyze the relationships among the apomictic biotypes and evolutionary pathways. Most apomictic biotypes were shown to be monoclonal and sexual recombination is probably very rare. Suggested mechanisms for the formation of apomicts involve either unreduced female gametes or euploid pollen grains from the pentaploid biotype. Even-ploid apomictics, including those cytologically capable of facultative apomixis, are monoclonal and seem to play a very minor role in the evolution of the complex. The relationships hypothesized among the apomicts are congruent with a single origin of apomixis in the group which in turn would be coded by a non-recombining genome.     

A taxonomic study of theCalamagrostis tashiroi group (Poaceae)

TheCalamagrostis tashiroi group was taxonomically revised by examination of population samples from four areas and herbarium specimens. Results of the morphological examination, coupled with observations of the habitats, showed that three taxa with distinct morphological features and definite geographical ranges can be recognized in this group. They were disposed asCalamagrostis tashiroi subsp.tashiroi, C. tashiroi subsp.sikokiana, stat. nov. andC. onibitoana, sp. nov.