A karyological study of eight populations of Plantago albicans L. (Plantaginaceae) collected from the central high-plain steppe in the province of Djelfa in Algeria was undertaken for the first time. Chromosome numbers were determined as 2n = 2x = 10 for populations growing at medium altitudes (600-900 m) and 2n = 4x = 20 for those growing at higher altitudes (1000-1300 m) of arid bioclimates. Intermediate chromosome numbers 2n = 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 were found in individuals of the studied populations and were probably aneuploid forms. The analysis of the karyotype asymmetry indices showed that the diploid cytotype (2n = 2x = 10) is characterized by ancestral chromosomes that are symmetrical, large and homogeneous, while the tetraploid cytotype (2n = 4x = 20) is more evolved with asymmetric, small and heterogeneous chromosomes. Based on our findings, it can be suggested that environmental factors and geographical location might have an effect on the genetic structure and evolution of P. albicans populations in the central steppe of Algeria.
a a laboratoire de Biologie et Physiologie des organismes (lBPo), faculté des sciences Biologiques, université des sciences et de la technologie Houari Boumediene (ustHB), alger, algeria; b institut national de la recherche agronomique d'algérie (inraa), alger, algeria
In continuation of our previous research we carried out the karyological investigation of 53 populations of four Aegilops species (A. geniculata, A. triuncialis, A. ventricosa, and A. neglecta) sampled in different eco-geographical habitats in Algeria. The genetic variability of the chromosomal DNA loci of the same collection of Aegilops is highlighted by the Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization technique (FISH) using three probes: 5S rDNA, 45S rDNA, and repetitive DNA (pSc119.2). We found that the two rDNA loci (5S and 45S) hybridized with some chromosomes and showed a large genetic polymorphism within and between the four Aegilops species, while the repetitive DNA sequences (pSc119.2) hybridized with all chromosomes and differentiated the populations of the mountains with a humid bioclimate from the populations of the steppe regions with an arid bioclimate. However, the transposition of the physical maps of the studied loci (5S rDNA, 45S rDNA, and pSc119.2) with those of other collections revealed the existence of new loci in Aegilops from Algeria.
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