Genome size variation and C-band polymorphism inAlstroemeria aurea, A. ligtu andA. magnifica (Alstroemeriaceae)

• Published in: Plant systematics and evolution 1998, Vol.212 (1-2), p.87-106
• Main Authors: Buitendijk, Joska H., Peters, Arno, Quen, Robert-Jan, Ramanna, M. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: C band; Chromosomes; Cultivation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Flow cytometry; Fluorescence; Genomes; Iodides; Karyotypes; Polymorphism; Propidium iodide; Species; Variation
• ISSN: 0378-2697; 1615-6110; 2199-6881
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00985223

Among a total of 43 accessions ofAlstroemeria aurea, A. ligtu andA. magnifica nuclear DNA amounts (2C-values) showed significant intraspecific variation, 1.09, 1.21 and 1.15 fold, respectively, when determined through flow cytometric measurements of fluorescence of propidium iodide (PI) stained nuclei. After staining with another fluorochrome, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), an intraspecific variation of 1.10, 1.11 and 1.12 fold, respectively, was found. C-band polymorphisms were present among and within the accessions of all three species. In some cases only very small differences in C-banding pattern were observed. In other cases, however, differences were more prominent. Besides C-band polymorphism, there were also instances of chromosome length polymorphism, which concerned the total chromosome complement or single chromosomes. The variation in nuclear DNA amount inA. aurea andA. ligtu was more or less continuous, except for one accession ofA. ligtu subsp.simsii. Artificial selection and possibly introgression of chromosomes from other species may have moulded the karyotypes of some of the accessions ofA. aurea, a species that has been under cultivation for more than 160 years. The variation as observed inA. magnifica subsp.magnifica was discontinuous and could be due to a broad species concept.