Vera Kosovel

Taxonomic Notes on the Genista ephedroides Group (Fabaceae) from the Mediterranean Area

Abstract.  A revision of the taxa belonging to the Genista ephedroides group (Fabaceae, Cytiseae) occurring in the Tyrrhenian area is presented. The study, carried out on the basis of the literature, herbarium material, and field and karyological investigations, allows the recognition of 13 taxa. Eight are already known: G. cilentina Vals., G. demarcoi Brullo, Scelsi & Siracusa, G. dorycnifolia Font Quer, G. ephedroides DC., G. gasparrinii (Guss.) C. Presl, G. numidica Spach, G. tyrrhena Vals., and G. valsecchiae Brullo & De Marco, and five are new to science. Genista bocchierii Bacch., Brullo & Feoli Chiapella, G. insularis Bacch., Brullo & Feoli Chiapella, G. insularis subsp. fodinae Bacch., Brullo & Feoli Chiapella, and G. ovina Bacch., Brullo & Feoli Chiapella are described from Sardinia, Italy, while G. tyrrhena subsp. pontiana Brullo & De Marco is described from the Pontine Archipelago of Latium, Italy. Karyologically, most of the taxa are characterized by the somatic number 2n = 48 (G. bocchierii, G. cilentina, G. demarcoi, G. dorycnifolia, G. gasparrinii, G. tyrrhena subsp. tyrrhena, G. ephedroides, G. valsecchiae, G. insularis), with accessory chromosomes occasionally yielding higher counts. In addition to 2n = 48, the new report of 2n = 44 is noted for the new species G. ovina. A new count of 2n = 48 is reported for G. tyrrhena subsp. tyrrhena, whereas higher counts (2n = 48 + 0–2B, 72, 96) are reported for the new subspecies G. tyrrhena subsp. pontiana. For each examined taxon, notes are given on the nomenclature, karyology, ecology, and chorology, while a detailed iconography is lacking only for G. numidica and G. dorycnifolia. An analytical key for the G. ephedroides group is presented. Lectotypes are designated for G. numidica and Spartium gymnopterum Viv.

Analysis of the Genista ephedroides group (Fabaceae) based on karyological, molecular and morphological data

Within the genus Genista, the species belonging to the G. ephedroides complex are examined from karyological, molecular and phenetic point of view. All the examined taxa show a chromosome complement with 2n = 48, occasionally with some accessory chromosomes. In addition, the aneuploid number 2n = 44 was found only in G. ovina, while higher counts (2n = 72 and 2n = 96) are reported for G. tyrrhena ssp. pontiana. As concerns the DNA, the restriction fragment analysis of the ribosomal ITS1 (HaeIII, RsaI) and 5.8S-ITS2 (HaeIII) regions was used; the classification and ordination of the taxa allow to distinguish three clusters: the first including the S-Tyrrhenian taxa, the second all the Sardinian and Balearic taxa, and the third grouping G. numidica and G. cilentina. The phenetic analysis was performed by using 40 morphological characters processed by the NTSYSpc package. The relative cladogram distinguishes three main clades: the most isolated including the Sicilian species, the other two separating the Sardinian and Balearic species from the S-Tyrrhenian and Algerian ones.

Genetic characterization of Genista sericea Wulfen (Cytiseae – Fabaceae) as revealed by nuclear DNA content and its nrDNA region analysis

Summary - Genista sericeaWulfen, a northern Illyrian amphi-Adriatic species, presents a certain morphological variability. To clarify whether the genetic variations support the morphological differences among accessions of different geographic origin, analysis of nuclear DNA content and polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) dataset was studied. The variation in nuclear DNA content of G. sericea var. sericea and var. rigida is minimal (2.09 and 2.08 pg/nucleus respectively) and is correlated with equal chromosome numbers in both varieties. Intraspecific variability of the ITS region was studied on 13 accessions of G. sericea, 6 belonging to var. sericea and 7 to var. rigida. These accessions were analyzed in comparison to closely related species already studied. ITS sequences of G. sericea revealed large polymorphism and formed two main clusters. One cluster (6 accessions) comprehends var. sericea of northern Italy, Slovenia and northern Croatia; the other cluster (7 accessions) includes five accessions of var. rigida from southern Croatia and Montenegro and two from the Pollino massif (southern Italy). The later two accessions considerably differed from other accessions of var. rigida. This genetic analysis supports the previous assumptions, which subdivided G. sericea into at least two taxa. On the basis of the results presented, it is here suggested that the subdivision of G. sericea into var. sericea and var. rigida should be maintained.

Karyomorphology and systematics of the eastern taxa of Genista sect. Spartioides and G. pulchella (Genisteae-Fabaceae).

Abstract A karyological analysis of some taxa of Genista sect. Spartioides, distributed in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region, was carried out. The three subspecies of Genista pulchella: ssp. pulchella (western Balkan Peninsula), ssp. aquilana (central Apennines) and ssp. villarsiana (southern France) all present the chromosome number 2n = 18 + (0 - 4B). The taxa of G. albida aggr., G. albida (eastern Mediterranean) and G. involucrata (Anatolian), both have 2n = 18 + (0 - 2B); 2n = 36 + (0 - 3B) being rarely found in the latter species. As regards the taxa endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, G. halacsyi and G. subcapitata show 2n = 18 + (0 – 2B), G. sakellariadis and G. millii 2n = 36 + 2B. All these numbers may be traced back to the basic number x = 9. G. pulchella has the most symmetric karyotype, while G. albida and G. involucrata result more asymmetric; the four Balkan endemics (G. halacsyi, G. sakellariadis, G. subcapitata and G. millii) present the highest grade of asymmetry. A comparison with karyological data already available for all the taxa of sect. Spartioides was also made.

Ricerche sui pigmenti fotosintetici di Gracilaria verrucosa (Huds.) Papenfuss. Dosaggio quantitativo della ficoeritrina

Abstract Research on photosynthetic pigments from Gracilaria verrucosa (Huds.) Papenfuss. Quantitative analysis of phycoerythrin. – Among biliproteins of Rhodophycean algae, phycoerythrin is very interesting for constant distribution, in large amounts, in the different species. Phycoerythrins extinction coefficients have been already calculated for some Bangiophycean and only two species of Rhodophycean algae. In this work we have analyzed all photosynthetic pigments and isolated pure phycoerythrin from Gracilaria verrucosa (Huds.) Papenfuss [= Gracilaria confervoides (L.) Grev.] belonging to Gigartinales. The aim of our research was to evaluate the quantitative ratio between this pigment and the others in a sistematic group for which there are only qualitative data. Phycoerythrin of Gracilaria is the R-classical type, with three absorption maxima. Average values of absorption coefficients, calculated on a large number of samples are E1 %cm (565 nm) = 53.8, E1 %cm (540 nm) = 48.4, E1 1%cm (498 nm) = 49.1...

A karyological study of Genista sect. Spartocarpus Spach (Cytiseae-Fabaceae)

Summary Genista sect. Spartocarpus includes about 20 taxa distributed in the Mediterranean region, with one species (G. radiata) extending into the Alps. Two main diversity centers can be identified: one in the East (Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia) and one in the West (Southern Spain and Northwestern Africa), with various species occurring in the Tyrrhenian area. A karyological study was carried out on 30 wild populations of 7 taxa; a comprehensive evaluation of the section is presented. In the G. radiata group (East-Alpine Balkan), both varieties of G. radiata (radiata and sericopetala) and G. holopetala have the same secondary basic chromosome number x = 12, but different levels of ploidy: 4x (2n = 48) in var. radiata and G. holopetala; 8x (2n = 96) in var. sericopetala of Southeastern France; both 4x and 8x (2n = 48 and 2n = 96) in the examined population of Piemonte; G. hassertiana (2n = 52) may be considered as the result of ascending aneuploidy derived from x = 12. The G. sessilifolia group (Central Southern Balkans and Anatolia) appears karyologically homogeneous, displaying the basic number x = 11: G. nissana (2n = 22) is diploid, while in G. sessilifolia, ssp. romanica (Southeastern Europaean, 2n = 22) is diploid and ssp. sessilifolia (Anatolian, 2n = 88) octoploid. In the Western Mediterranean region, G. spartioides and G. haenseleri (Southern Spain and Northwestern Africa) display n = 20 and 2n = 40 (rarely n = 22), with x = 10. In G. aetnensis, endemic to Sardinia and Sicily, the numbers n = 26 and 2n = 52 were found, with x = 13. For the Tyrrhenian species of the G. ephedroides complex (incl. G. dorycnifolia) the number 2n = 48 (with x = 12) has been constantly counted. Sect. Spartocarpus is thus karyologically heterogeneous, displaying four secondary basic numbers (x = 10, 11, 12, 13), that have different geographic patterns and probably diversified following geographical isolation. Besides, more levels of ploidy (2x, 4x, 8x) and some cases of aneuploidy were observed: the level 4x is the most frequent and prevails in all the range of the section, 2x is found only in Southern Balkans (G. sessilifolia group) and 8x is limited to peripheral areas of Turkey and France.

Karyology of Teline Medik. (Cytiseae-Fabaceae)

Summary The genus Teline includes about 20 taxa in the Mediterranean and Macaronesian Regions. Two diversity centres can be recognized: the Canary Islands (where the highest diversity is found) and the Western part of the Mediterranean area. A karyological study was carried out on 30 wild populations of 16 taxa; a comprehensive evaluation of the genus is here presented, considering the previous references as well. The Western Mediterranean species T. linifolia, T. patens, T. tribracteolata and T. osmariensis, and the Canarian taxa T. stenopetala, T. osyrioides (including ssp. sericea), T. microphylla, T. hillebrandii, T. rosmarinifolia ssp. rosmarinifolia and T. splendens show the chromosome numbers n = 24 and/or 2n = 48, sometimes with up to 4 B chromosomes. Both numbers 2n = 46 and 2n = 48 were counted in the Mediterranen species T. monspessulana and in the Macaronesian taxa T. maderensis, T. canariensis and T. nervosa. The genus Teline is thus quite homogeneous karyologically. In all the species, the eutetraploid number 2n = 48 was found, being by far the most common in Cytiseae and traceable to the secondary basic number x = 12. In some taxa, along with the number 2n = 46, also a tendency towards descending aneuploidy was observed, not very common in Genista, but more frequent in Cytisus. A certain correspondence between the karyological and molecular data (Percy & Cronk, 2002) might be observed: the taxa of the “T. linifolia group” constantly show the somatic number 2n = 48 (very rarely, 2n = 46 in T. nervosa), while in the taxa of the “T. monspessulana group”, both euploid (2n = 48) and aneuploid (2n = 46) numbers are often counted.

Karyological diversity of Adenocarpus DC. (Fabaceae-Cytiseae)

Summary The genus Adenocarpus includes 26 species in the Mediterranean Region and a single species in Tropical Africa (A. mannii). Two diversity centres can be recognized: the Central part of the Iberic Peninsula and the mountain zone of Central Morocco. A karyological study was carried out on 35 wild populations of 21 taxa of the genus. All the species belonging to the complex and polymorphic A complicatus group (the Western Mediterranean A complicatus s.s., A lainzii, A aureus, A anisochilus and A nainii; the Italic A samniticus, A brutius, A bivonii and A commutatus; the Eastern Mediterranean A graecus) show the chromosome numbers n = 26 and 2n = 52 (rarely 2n = 54). The same numbers have been counted also for the other species of the genus occurring in Europe (A. telonensis, A decorticans, A hispanicus and A argyrophyllus, all Western Mediterranean). The number 2n = 52 may be traced back to the secondary basic number x = 13. Among the several taxa distributed in Northwestern Africa, the only species examined karyologically (A. anagyrifolius, A bacquei and A boudyii) have the numbers n = 24 and 2n = 48 (the first taxon rarely also 2n = 52, 54). Also A. mannii (Tropical Africa) displays 2n = 48, by far the most common number in Cytiseae, which may be traced back to the basic number x = 12. A foliolosus and A viscosus, occurring in the Canary Islands, present respectively 2n = 52 and 2n = 48 (rarely 2n = 52). The two diversity centres of the genus are characterized by two different basic numbers, x = 13 (Iberic Peninsula) and x =12 (Central Morocco). The derivation of x = 13 from x = 12 is hypothesized.