Variation in DNA C value in natural populations of Dactylis glomerata L.

Abstract

SUMMARYDNA C values were determined for eighteen natural populations of Dactylis glomerata L. collected from various sites in Europe to examine the extent of intraspecific variation in C value and how this variation may be related to latitude and altitude of origin. A sub-set (8) of these populations represent an altitudinal transect (350-1120 m) in northern Spain whilst the remainder represent a latitudinal range (38-53-57-47 °N), Preliminary experiments established optimum acid hydrolysis times for the Feulgen reaction of 62 min and 20 min for D. glomerata c\. S26 and the standard Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Sultan (C = 5-6 pg), respectively. The data emphasize the necessity of using the optimum hydrolysis time for both the standard and unknowns for C value determination, whether using 5 M HCl at 25 °C or 1 M HCl at 60 °C. This procedure has not been followed in the majority of published estimates of C value.Seventeen of the natural populations were tetraploid (2« = 4,v = 28) whilst the southernmost population was diploid {2u = 2x = 14), The 17 tetraploid populations exhibited a 28-7 "o variation in DNA C value, ranging from 4-35 to 5-60 pg, whilst the C value of the diploid population was 3-3 pg. There was neither a significant relationship between the C value and latitude of origin of the 10 populations which comprised the latitudinal transect (1 diploid and 9 tetraploid) nor with the tetraploids alone. However, the C values of the eight populations which formed the altitudinal transect in the Galicia mountains in N. Spain were negatively correlated with their altitude of origin. Possible reasons for this relationship are discussed.

Genome size microscale divergence of Cyclamen persicum in Evolution Canyon, Israel

“…This conclusion is in line with suggestions that increased tolerance to drought (and to another stresses such a frost) is associated with larger genome size in plants [4,5,35,37,38]. It should be noted that other ecogeographically correlated intraspecific variability in genome size was documented apart from Ceratonia siliqua [4]; for example, between genome size and altitude at the local geographic scale in Zea mays [39] and Dactylis glomerata [40,41]. On the global geographical scale larger genome size variability was documented in relict parts of species distribution range of Festuca pallens while marginal parts were invaded by the smaller genomes [42].…”

The ten cytological races of the Scilla autumnalis species complex

“…Races in parentheses are those described by previous authors. Creber et at., 1994;Graham et at., 1994;MacGillivray & Grime, 1995 . Thus it seems feasible that the wide range of C-values described here for Scilla could be selectively favoured by different environments.…”

Identification of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) cultivars by using simple sequence repeat markers

“…It is auto-tetraploid, with a large genome (4312 Mbp) (Creber et al, 1994) and selfincompatibility system (Hirata et al, 2011). Compared to other forage material, the breeding of orchardgrass is hampered by its strong self-incompatibility system and severe inbreeding depression, which makes it difficult to produce inbred lines and construct fingerprinting (Xie et al, 2011).…”