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Abstract Detail



Polyploidy, microevolution and species level systematics

Wright, Bethany [1], Ferguson, Carolyn [1].

Polyploidy in Phlox nana Nutt. (Polemoniaceae): documentation of cytotypic variation, and relationship to geography and taxonomic recognition.

Polyploidy is well known in plants and is considered important in plant evolution. Ploidy level variation within a species (cytotypic variation) has been increasingly documented and poses interesting questions related to geography and taxonomy. The genus Phlox provides an excellent system for study of polyploidy and diversity because some recognized species or species complexes exhibit variation in ploidy level, along with complex patterns of morphological variation and ecology, and challenging taxonomy. Phlox nana, which occurs chiefly in mountains of the northern Chihuahuan desert north to the southern Rocky Mountains, is a particularly interesting case for study. This taxon has been recognized historically as one variable species (sometimes with infraspecific taxa) or as several species, and past work has provided some evidence for ploidy level variation. We present flow cytometry and chromosome count data documenting presence of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid populations across the range of P. nana. Fine-scale geographical patterns of cytotypic variation are assessed and considered in terms of ecological patterns and morphological variation; and these findings are discussed in light of the history of taxonomic concepts in the group for an improved understanding of polyploidy and diversity in P. nana. This research is placed within the context of a larger collaborative investigation on polyploidy and aspects of diversity in P. nana and other polyploid complexes in Phlox.

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1 - Kansas State University , Herbarium and Division of Biology, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

Keywords:
Chromosome count
flow cytometry
Polemoniaceae
Polyploidy
P. nana
Phlox.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C9
Location: Belle-Chasse/Riverside Hilton
Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: C9006
Abstract ID:433
Candidate for Awards:None


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