Genetic melting pot and importance of long-distance dispersal indicated in the Gladiolus imbricatus L. populations in the Polish Carpathians.

The genetic diversity in 11 populations of Gladiolus imbricatus in five mountain ranges, including the Tatra, Pieniny, Gorce, Beskid Niski (Western Carpathians) and Bieszczady Mts (Eastern Carpathians), was studied with inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The species is a perennial plant occurring in open and semi-open sites of anthropogenic origin (meadows and forest margins). We checked a hypothesis on the microrefugial character of the plant populations in the Pieniny Mts, a small calcareous Carpathian range of complicated relief that has never been glaciated. Plant populations in the Tatra and Pieniny Mts had the highest genetic diversity indices, pointing to their long-term persistence. The refugial vs. the non-refugial mountain ranges accounted for a relatively high value of total genetic variation [analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), 14.12%, p = 0.003]. One of the Pieniny populations was of hybridogenous origin and shared genetic stock with the Tatra population, indicating there is a local genetic melting pot. A weak genetic structuring of populations among particular regions was found (AMOVA, 4.5%, p > 0.05). This could be an effect of the frequent short-distance and sporadic long-distance gene flow. The dispersal of diaspores between the remote populations in the Western Carpathians and Eastern Carpathians could be affected by the historical transportation of flocks of sheep from the Tatra to Bieszczady Mts.

Evidence of mitochondrial DNA in the chloroplast genome of Convallaria keiskei and its subsequent evolution in the Asparagales.

DNA transfer between internal organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondrion, and plastid is a well-known phenomenon in plant evolution, and DNA transfer from the plastid and mitochondrion to the nucleus, from the plastid to the mitochondrion, and from the nucleus to the mitochondrion has been well-documented in angiosperms. However, evidence of the transfer of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to the plastid has only been found in three dicotyledons and one monocotyledon. In the present study, we characterised and analysed two chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of Convallaria keiskei and Liriope spicata, and found that C. keiskei has the largest cp genome (162,109 bp) in the Asparagaceae. Interestingly, C. keiskei had a ~3.3-kb segment of mtDNA in its cp genome and showed similarity with the mt gene rpl10 as a pseudogene. Further analyses revealed that mtDNA transfer only occurred in C. keiskei in the Nolinoideae, which diverged very recently (7.68 million years ago (mya); 95% highest posterior density (HPD): 14.55-2.97 mya). These findings indicate that the C. keiskei cp genome is unique amongst monocotyledon land plants, but further work is necessary to understand the direction and mechanism involved in the uptake of mtDNA by the plastid genome of C. keiskei.

Testing the reliability of standard and complementary DNA barcodes for the monocot subfamily Alooideae from South Africa.

Although a standard DNA barcode has been identified for plants, it does not always provide species-level specimen identifications for investigating important ecological questions. In this study, we assessed the species-level discriminatory power of standard (rbcLa + matK) and complementary barcodes (ITS1 and trnH-psbA) within the subfamily Alooideae (Asphodelaceae), a large and recent plant radiation, whose species are important in horticulture yet are threatened. Alooideae has its centre of endemism in southern Africa, with some outlier species occurring elsewhere in Africa and Madagascar. We sampled 360 specimens representing 235 species within all 11 genera of the subfamily. With three distance-based methods, all markers performed poorly for our combined data set, with the highest proportion of correct species-level specimen identifications (30%) found for ITS1. However, when performance was assessed across genera, the discriminatory power varied from 0% for all single markers and combinations in Gasteria to 63% in Haworthiopsis, again for ITS1, suggesting that DNA barcoding success may be related to the evolutionary history of the lineage considered. Although ITS1 could be a good barcode for Haworthiopsis, the generally poor performance of all markers suggests that Alooideae remains a challenge. As species boundaries within Alooideae remain controversial, we call for continued search for suitable markers or the use of genomics approaches to further explore species discrimination in the group.

Multicomponent pattern and biological activities of seven Asphodeline taxa: potential sources of natural-functional ingredients for bioactive formulations.

The current study was carried out to evaluate multicomponent pattern, biological and enzymatic activities of seven Asphodeline taxa root extracts as useful ingredients, due to the fact that these plants are commonly used as traditional food supplements in Turkish regions. The extracts were characterized for free anthraquinones and phenolics to obtain a specific chemical fingerprint useful for quality control. These analyzes were coupled to biological and enzymatic activities in order to obtain comprehensive information of the natural product. Free anthraquinones and phenolics were determined using validated HPLC-PDA methods. Antioxidant properties were determined by different procedures including free radical scavenging, reducing power, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating assays. Ames assay was performed to evaluate mutagenic/antimutagenic properties. Enzyme inhibitory activities were tested against cholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. From the herein reported results, Asphodeline could be valuable for the production of bioactive products or food supplements for cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Evolutionary timescale of monocots determined by the fossilized birth-death model using a large number of fossil records.

Although the phylogenetic relationships between monocot orders are sufficiently understood, a timescale of their evolution is needed. Several studies on molecular clock dating are available, but their results have been biased by their calibration schemes. Recently, the fossilized birth-death model, a type of Bayesian dating method, was proposed, and it does not require prior calibration and allows the use all available fossils. Using this model, we conducted divergence-time estimations of monocots to explore their evolutionary timeline without calibration bias. This is the first application of this model to seed plants. The dataset contained the matK and rbcL chloroplast genes of 118 monocot genera covering all extant orders. We employed information from 247 monocot fossils, which exceeded previous dating analyses that used a maximum of 12 monocot fossils. The crown group of monocots was dated to approximately the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous periods, and most extant monocot orders were estimated to diverge throughout the Early Cretaceous. Our results overlapped with the divergence time of insect lineages, such as beetles and flies, suggesting an association with pollinators in early monocot evolution. In addition, we proposed three new orders based on divergence time: Orchidales separated from Asparagales and Tofieldiales and Arales separated from Aslimatales.