To fully understand the contemporary genetic structure of plants, both nuclear and plastid markers are needed. Three chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) lineages, which probably diverged before the major Pleistocene glaciations, have been identified in the circumpolar/circumboreal Vaccinium uliginosum. Here we investigate its nuclear DNA variation using nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) s...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Dioscorea alata is a polyploid species with a ploidy level ranging from diploid (2n = 2x = 40) to tetraploid (2n = 4x = 80). Ploidy increase is correlated with better agronomic performance. The lack of knowledge about the origin of D. alata spontaneous polyploids (triploids and tetraploids) limits the efficiency of polyploid breeding. The objective of the present study was t...

The dynamics of polar body release are important for creating polyploid shellfish. For producing triploids, these dynamics concern meiosis in diploid eggs and are well understood. For creating tetraploids, eggs from triploids are employed and the dynamics, variation, and environmental influences upon polar body release are less studied. We investigated the effects of several agents on the timin...

chromosomes are rather small, so it is quite likely that minor chromosome deficiencies or deletions would not be detected. Recently, we have obtained from commercial sources two spontaneous chromosome aberrants, one of which appears to be wholly tetraploid, while the other is chimaeric, containing diploid as well as tetraploid tissues. The first named is known to be, and the other probably is, ...

Limonium sinuatum (L.) Mill. (2n = 2x 16) is a popular ornamental plant with dimorphism of pollen grains (type A and type B) stigmas (papilla cob-like). We applied polyploidy breeding to this species in order introduce desirable traits. Tetraploid mixoploid L. plants were successfully obtained oryzalin treatment ‘Early Blue’ seeds. All three tetraploids had increased leaf width, stomatal size, ...

Discrimination between disomic and tetrasomic inheritance aids in determining whether tetraploids originated by allotetraploidy or autotetraploidy, respectively. Past assessments of inheritance in tetraploids have used analyses whereby each inheritance hypothesis is tested independently. I present a Bayesian analysis that is appropriate for discriminating among several inheritance hypotheses an...

This study concerns diploid chromosome numbers and karyotype analysis of nine species belonging to four sections (Vicilla, Cracca, Variegata and Anatropostylia) of the subgenus Vicilla of the genus Vicia (Fabaceae). The chromosome numbers of Vicia alpestris subsp. hypoleuca, V. aucheri, V. ciceroideae, V. gariensis, V. iranica, V. koeieana, V. rechingeri, V. sojakii and V. venulosa are reported...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Discovering missing ancestors is essential to understanding the evolutionary history of biodiversity on Earth. Evidence from extinct species can provide links for reconstructing intricate patterns of reticulate relationships among extant descendents. When fossils are unavailable and other evidence yields competing hypotheses to explain species ancestry, data f...