One promising area in understanding the responses of plants to ongoing global climate change is the adaptative effect of polyploidy. This work examines whether there is a coupling between the distribution of cytotypes and their biogeographical niche, and how different niches will affect their potential range. The study uses a range of techniques including flow cytometry, gradient and niche analysis, as well as distribution modelling. In addition, climatic, edaphic and habitat data was used to analyse environmental patterns and potential ranges of cytotypes in the first wide-range study of Festuca amethystina—a mixed-ploidy mountain grass. The populations were found to be ploidy homogeneous and demonstrate a parapatric pattern of cytotype distribution. Potential contact zones have been identified. The tetraploids have a geographically broader distribution than diploids; they also tend to occur at lower altitudes and grow in more diverse climates, geological units and habitats. Moreover, tetraploids have a more extensive potential range, being six-fold larger than diploids. Montane pine forests were found to be a focal environment suitable for both cytotypes, which has a central place in the environmental space of the whole species. Our findings present polyploidy as a visible driver of geographical, ecological and adaptive variation within the species.

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Festuca galiciensis, a new endemic species from Western Ukraine is described. Its ecology, distribution, morphology and leaf anatomy are discussed. The taxonomic relationship of the new species with F. rupicola, with which it grows in mixed populations, and its delimitation with respect to other species of the F. valesiaca group, are also discussed.

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Until recently, Festuca arietina was practically an unknown species in the flora of Eastern Europe. Such a situation can be treated as a consequence of insufficient studying of Festuca valesiaca group species in Eastern Europe and misinterpretation of the volume of some taxa. As a result of a complex study of F. arietina populations from the territory of Ukraine (including the material from locus classicus), Belarus and Lithuania, original anatomy, morphology and molecular data were obtained. These data confirmed the taxonomical status of F. arietina as a separate species. Eleven morphological and 12 anatomical characters, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 cluster of nuclear ribosomal genes, as well as the models of secondary structure of ITS1 and ITS2 transcripts were studied in this approach. It was found for the first time that F. arietina is hexaploid (6x = 42), which is distinguished from all the other narrow-leaved fescues by specific leaf anatomy as well as in ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences. Molecular data indicating possible hybridogenous origin of F. arietina, fall in line with the anatomical-morphological data and explain the tendency toward sclerenchyma strands fusion with formation of a continuous ring in F. arietina, as well as F. arietina ecological confinement to psammophyte biotopes.

of seed proteins. Affinities among the taxa were assessed by coefficient of taxonomic similarity S. An index of group affinity (GA) was also calculated for each taxon as a sum of its S values. The results indicated that most of studied taxa are nearly equidistantly positioned within the examined group of genus Elymus. The species E. pycnanthus proved to be most distantly positioned within the group as its index GA (1.08) was the lowest one. The species E. dahuricus (GA=1.21) was also comparatively distant within the studied group of genus Elymus. It should be noted that the hybrid E. x mucronatus is more close positioned to E. repens than to the other parent E. hispidus as judged by the composition of its seed proteins. The results of the present study clearly showed that within mixed populations of E. repens, E. hispidus and E. ×mucronatus well developed hybrid swarms can be observed.

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