CHROMOSOME NUMBER VARIATION IN PART OF THE FLORA OF PROTECTED WILD AREAS IN THE ARAUCANiA REGION OF SOUTHERN CHILE

Abstract

An analysis was made of the correspondence between species diversity and chromosome number (CN) diversity across 13 Protected Wild Areas (PWA) in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile, encompassing 84 plant species with available cytogenetic data. Our aim was to establish whether higher species diversity within a PWA entails higher CN variation as based on the index of chromosome number heterogeneity (ICNH). The CN data were extracted from databases for Chilean plants, and the ICNH for the flora of each PWA was calculated. Results showed that in nine PWA the species diversity clearly correlates with CN diversity. However, four PWA do not fit this trend. The percentage of species with CN data varied between 9.6% and 24.5% among PWA, with 11 PWA presenting percentages higher than 11%. A 27.3% of the Chilean vascular plant species with available cytogenetic data were studied here for the 13 PWA. The results obtained by studying one part of the flora with available CN data suggest that the PWA could be an important reservoir of genetic diversity at a chromosome level, thus justifying the protective role of the PWA as biodiversity conservation sites. Key words: Chromosome number heterogeneity; floristic diversity; Chilean flora.

Chromosomic Studies in Zephyranthes Citrina Baker (Amaryllidaceae), a Polyploid Ornamental

“…The first review reporting the state-of-the-art on cytogenetics of Chilean flora was carried out in angiosperms and it gathered information for approximately 139 continental and insular species (2.8% of total angiosperms) across 78 publications from years 1924 to 2010 (Jara Seguel and Urrutia, 2012). Recently, the flora of some protected wild areas in the southern zone has also been studied based on the diversity of chromosome numbers (Jara Seguel et al, 2020). In addition, the flora of insular Chile has also been a focus of interest from a cytogenetic point of view, with a number of reviews reporting valuable information on chromosome number.…”