Biological Characteristics and Genetic Diversity of Phomopsis asparagi, Causal Agent of Asparagus Stem Blight.

Asparagus stem blight is a regional disease. In the present study, we compared strains of Phomopsis asparagi from six different provinces to determine their biological characteristics and genetic diversity, differences in the pycnidium and conidium production, pathogenicity, and growth rate. Considerable differences were established in the pycnidium and conidium production among the P. asparagi strains from the six studied provinces. The largest pycnidium and conidium production had the strains from Fujian, followed by those from Hainan. The virulence of P. asparagi strains was significantly different but without a correlation with the geographical source of the strain. FJ2 had the highest virulence, followed by HN2, SD4, and SD5, whereas SD5 had the lowest virulence. The colony diameter and dry weight of the strains of asparagus stem blight fungus from the six provinces were substantially different. The colonies of HN1-5 had the largest diameters, whereas those of XT1-5, LT1-3, FJ1-5, and SX6 had smaller diameters. Four primers with good repeatability and strong specificity were selected from 100 intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. ISSR-PCR amplification was performed on 36 strains of asparagus stem blight fungus, and a large number of repeatable DNA fingerprints were obtained. Most of the amplified fragments were within 300 to 500 bp. In all, 69 total points, 64 multiple points, and 92.75% polymorphism points were established. The number of ISSR gene sites detected by four primers ranged from 14 to 20, with an average of 16 multiple sites. The copolymerization was divided into three groups: XT1-5, LT1-3, and FJ1-5, which were clustered into the first group; SD1-6, SX1-6, and HB1-6, clustered into the second group; and HN1-5 in the third group. The results of the cluster analysis revealed that the strains of the neighboring provinces had a nearer phylogenetic relationship than that between distant ones. Therefore, the system evolution of P. asparagi is related to the geographical distribution of its strains.

Immunotoxicity evaluation of novel bioactive composites in male mice as promising orthopaedic implants.

OBJECTIVE: In orthopaedics, novel bioactive composites are largely needed to improve the synthetic achievement of the implants. In this work, semiconducting metal oxides such as SiO2, TiO2, and ZrO2 particles (Ps) were used individually and in different ratios to obtain different biphasic composites. The immunotoxicity of these composites was tested to inspect the potential toxicity prior to their use in further medical applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro mineralisation ability was inspected by soaking the composites in simulated body fluid (SBF). Additionally, in vivo experiments were performed consuming male mice using ISSR-PCR, micronucleus (MN) test, comet assay, glutathione peroxidase activity, and determination of albumin, globulin, lymphocyte population, ALT, and AST levels. Several groups of adult male albino mice were treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight of SiO2, TiO2, and ZrO2-Ps in pure or mixed forms. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that treatment of mice with low and medium doses of SiO2, TiO2, and ZrO2-Ps in pure or mixed form revealed values relatively similar to the control group. However, using 400 mg/kg especially from TiO2-Ps in genuine form or mixed with SiO2 showed proliferation in the toxicity rates compared with the high dose of SiO2 and ZrO2-Ps. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that TiO2 composite induced in vivo toxicity, oxidative DNA damage, bargain of the antioxidant enzymes, and variations in the levels of albumin, globulin, lymphocyte population, ALT, and AST in a dose-dependent manner. However, SiO2, and ZrO2 composites revealed a lower toxicity in mice compared with that of TiO2.

Can behavioural differences in Platypus cylindrus (Coleoptera: Platypodinae) from Portugal and Tunisia be explained by genetic and morphological traits?

Platypus cylindrus is an important wood borer of cork oak trees (Quercus suber) in the Mediterranean region, namely Portugal, Morocco and Algeria where its presence has drastically increased in the past few decades. On the contrary, the insect is not a relevant pest in Tunisia. The aim of this work is to analyze morphological and genetic differences among Tunisian and Portuguese populations in order to understand their role in the diverse population dynamics (e.g., aggressiveness) of the insect. The information could be used as a novel tool to implement protective measures. Insects were collected from cork oak stands in Tunisia (Ain Beya, Babouch and Mzara) and Portugal (Chamusca and Crato). Morphological traits of female and male mycangial pits were determined, using scanning electron microscopy but no significant differences were found. Genetic differences were analyzed using nuclear (internal simple sequence repeat polymerase chain reaction) and mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I (COI)) molecular markers. The results showed a very low level of intraspecific polymorphism and genetic diversity. The alignment of COI sequences showed high percentage of identical sites (99%) indicating a very low variation in nucleotide composition. Other variables related with the ecology of the insect and its associated fungi must be studied for a better understanding of the differences in the insect population's dynamic in Mediterranean countries.

Genetic characterisation of microsporidia infecting Indian tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta, using morphology and molecular tools.

The utility of inter simple sequence repeat-PCR (ISSR-PCR) assay in the genetic characterisation and elucidation of the phylogenetic relationship of different microsporidian isolates infecting tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury, is demonstrated. A total of 22 different microsporidians collected from the diseased tasar silkworms from Jharkhand state of India were analysed using morphological characters and ISSR-PCR. Observations spores under phase contrast microscope revealed oval to elongate in shape with length ranging from 3.8 µm to 5.1 µm and width from 2.6 µm to 3.3 µm. All the microsporidian isolates except MIJ-1gC showed gonadal infection and transovarial transmission in infected tasar silkworms. Fourteen out of 20 ISSR primers tested generated reproducible profiles and yielded a total of 281 fragments, of which 273 were polymorphic (97%). The degree of banding pattern was used to evaluate genetic distances and for phylogenetic analysis. The results demonstrated that ISSR analysis may be a useful and efficient tool for taxonomical grouping and phylogenetic classification of different microsporidians in general.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers in sawih tree (Duabanga moluccana Blume) using ISSR-suppression PCR techniques.

Duabanga moluccana (or locally known as sawih) is an indigenous fast growing tropical tree species that confers various advantages for the timber industry and for planted forests development. In this paper, we isolated and characterized 8 polymorphic microsatellite markers from the D. moluccana genome using ISSR-suppression PCR techniques. The number of alleles and PIC values ranged from 3 to 8 alleles per locus and from 0.488 to 0.792, respectively. Three microsatellite loci were deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). The transferability rate ranged from 24 to 100 % among the three indigenous tree species tested. This indicates that the newly developed microsatellite markers would be useful tools for population genetic studies on D. moluccana and other indigenous tree species.

Application of ISSR-PCR for rapid strain typing of Debaryomyces hansenii isolated from dry-cured Iberian ham.

Yeast populations of dry-cured Iberian ham isolated from seven industries in the province of Badajoz were characterized by ISSR-PCR using the (CAG)4 primer and PCR-RFLP of the ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 fragment, and identified by DNA sequencing. A total of 242 isolates were analyzed, indicating the primary species present was Debaryomyces hansenii at 80.9% of the isolates followed by Candida zeylanoides at 10.3% of the isolates. The remainders of isolates were identified as Yamadazyma triangularis, Sporobolomyces roseus, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Rhodotorula slooffiae, and Cryptococcus victoriae. The ISSR-PCR method was a fast and reliable method which was able to discriminate species at a level comparable to restriction analyses of the ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 region. This method allowed for strain typing of D. hansenii, yielding 29 different PCR patterns within 196 isolates. Moreover, ISSR-PCR using the (CAG)4 primer indicated that this technique could be a promising tool for rapid discrimination of yeast starter cultures and spoilage species in dry-cured Iberian ham.

Genetic diversity of Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) in China detected by inter-simple sequence repeats.

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) is a serious pest causing grievous damage to rice plants. In the present study, inter-simple sequence repeats were employed to investigate the genetic diversity of 108 samples from 27 WBPH geographic populations in China. Ten primers were screened out with 147 amplified bands, average percentage of polymorphic bands, polymorphic information content, and marker index were 78.9, 0.456, and 6.753% respectively. The results indicated that genetic diversity was different among populations, but genetic variation was as low as 0.2% among the populations and as high as 99.8% within the same geographic population. Among the examined WBPH populations, genetic distances were weakly correlated to geographic distance, and there was no correlation between genetic identity and elevation. Cluster analysis showed that the 27 WBPH populations studied could be lumped into four clusters, with which the results of principal coordinate analysis (were almost consistent. In conclusion, the molecular genetic data demonstrated that the region consisting of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Guangxi was the first landing area of WBPH in its migrating process from overwintering sites to China.

Anthocyanin profiling of wild maqui berries (Aristotelia chilensis [Mol.] Stuntz) from different geographical regions in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) is a Chilean species which produces small berries that are collected from the wild. Anthocyanins, because of their health benefits, are the major focus of interest in maqui fruit. For this study, we examined anthocyanin and phenolic content of maqui fruits from individuals that belonged to four geographical areas in Chile, and used DNA marker analysis to examine the genetic variability of maqui populations that had distinctly different fruit anthocyanin content. RESULTS: Twelve primers generated a total of 145 polymorphic inter simple sequence repeat-polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) bands. ISSR-PCR showed different banding patterns for the individuals evaluated, confirming that maqui populations belonged to different genotypes. Maqui fruit from four different geographical regions during two consecutive growing seasons showed high total anthocyanin (6.6-15.0 g cy-3-glu kg⁻¹ fresh weight (FW)) and phenolic (10.7-20.5 g GAE kg⁻¹ FW) contents and different anthocyanin profiles. CONCLUSION: Three maqui genotypes exhibited significantly higher anthocyanin content than the others, as measured by pH differential method and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Significant genetic diversity was noted within each ecological population. ISSR-PCR analysis provided a fingerprinting approach applicable for differentiation of maqui genotypes.

ISSR and SCoT for evaluation of hereditary differences of 29 wild plants in Al Jubail Saudi Arabian.

This survey is concerned with the hereditary differences of 29 wild plants collected from fifteen different regions in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia using two molecular marker systems, viz. inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) molecular markers. Ten ISSR and ten SCoT primers amplified a total of 142 and 163 bands with a 87% and 84% polymorphism, respectively. The average number of polymorphic bands for each pair of ISSR and SCoT primers combinations was 12.4 and 13.7, respectively. The highest genetic similarity for ISSR (0.97) and SCoT (0.90) were recognized between Zygophyllum qatarense-22 and Juncus rigidus-23, and between Zygophyllum qatarense-28 and Zygophyllum qatarense-29, whereas the lowest was (0.59) differentiated between Zygophyllum qatarense-6 and Salsola imbricate-18 for ISSR and between Cyperus conglomeratus-7 and Halopeplis perfoliata-14 for SCoT. This considers confirmed the value of molecular techniques such as ISSR and SCoT to assess the hereditary differences among the selected 29 weeds for hereditary preservation and plant enhancement.

Morphogenesis and Genetic Diversity of Some Virulent Phages Specific for Bacillus velezensis.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting nutrients for plant growth. Phosphorus deficiency is limiting crop production in many agricultural soils worldwide. The application of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to soils can replace or partially reduce using of inorganic P fertilizers. A bacteriophage, or phage, is a virus that infects a bacterial cell, taking over the host cell's genetic material. The four phages were propagated, purified, studied for the morphological properties, finally studying the genetic diversity. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Obtained, examined the efficiency and identification of bacteria for solubilizing phosphorus. Isolation, studying the properties and studying genetic diversity. <b>Results:</b> Four virulent phages (Bv₁, Bv₂, Bv₃ and Bv₄) specific for <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> were isolated from the Egyptian soil. The <i>Bacillus</i> phages were purified by alternative low and high-speed centrifugation methods. Electron micrographs showed that phages appeared to be a member of the <i>Siphoviridae </i>family based on their structure and particle morphology (the particles have a head and long non-contractile tail). Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique was performed to determine the properties of viral proteins. It was found that the Bv₁ virus had five structural proteins, while Bv₂ and Bv₃ virus had eight structural proteins and finally, the Bv₄ virus had ten structural proteins. The purity and quantity of isolated DNAs were determined spectrophotometrically. Data showed that the concentration of Bv₁ DNA was 0.75 µg, Bv₂ DNA and Bv₃ DNA was 0.60 µg and finally Bv₄ DNA 0.55 µg µL¹. The analysis of genetic material of <i>B. velezensis</i> phages was determined based on both the ISSR-PCR technique and the effect of restriction enzymes. Data showed different amplification patterns with all phages. <b>Conclusion:</b> The bacteriophages of <i>B. velezensis</i> were isolated from soil, propagated, purified, study some of its properties.

Genetic Stability, Phenolic, Flavonoid, Ferulic Acid Contents, and Antioxidant Activity of Micropropagated Lycium schweinfurthii Plants.

Lycium schweinfurthii is a Mediterranean wild shrub rich in plant secondary metabolites. In vitro propagation of this plant may support the production of valuable dietary supplements for humanity, introduction of it to the world market, and opportunities for further studies. The presented study aimed to introduce an efficient and reproducible protocol for in vitro micropropagation of L. schweinfurthii and assess the genetic stability of micropropagated plants (MiPs) as well as to estimate phenolic, flavonoid, ferulic acid contents, and the antioxidant activity in leaves of micropropagated plants. Two DNA-based techniques, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR), and one biochemical technique, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), were used to assess the genetic stability in MiPs. Spectrophotometric analysis was performed to estimate total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of MiPs leaves, while ferulic acid content was estimated using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Sufficient shoot proliferation was achieved at MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium supplemented with 0.4 mg L-1 kinetin and rooted successfully on half-strength MS medium fortified with 0.4 mg L-1 Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The Jaccard's similarity coefficients detected in MiPs reached 52%, 55%, and 82% in the RAPD, ISSR, and SDS-PAGE analyses, respectively. In the dried leaves of MiPs, the phenolic, flavonoid, and ferulic acid contents of 11.53 mg gallic acid equivalent, 12.99 mg catechin equivalent, and 45.52 mg were estimated per gram, respectively. However, an IC50 of 0.43, and 1.99 mg mL-1 of MiP dried leaves' methanolic extract was required to scavenge half of the DPPH, and ABTS free radicals, respectively. The study presented a successful protocol for in vitro propagation of a valued promising plant source of phenolic compounds.

Measurement of biorational effect of imidacloprid on some aphids spp. as well as on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using biochemical parameters and ISSR-PCR.

Aphid species are the most common insect pest infesting wheat plants. The LC values of imidacloprid against aphid spp., ISSR-PCR molecular markers and biochemical parameters in wheat plant in the present study were carried out. The LC50 of imidacloprid on Rhopalosiphum maidis, Rhopalosiphum padi, Sitobion avenae, and Schzaphis graminum were 71.626, 85.853, 91.05, and 115.806, respectively. While, the biochemical parameters in treated wheat plants including; total protein, RNA, and DNA contents increased in all experimental groups. Moreover, total carbohydrates and soluble sugar also increased in treated wheat seedlings. Also, the genetic diversity studies revealed that among six ISSR primers produced 36 amplified DNA fragments in a molecular weight range of (480-1545 bp). About 28 fragments were monomorphic, and 8 fragments were polymorphic. It can be concluded that the effectiveness of imidacloprid against sucking insects in treated wheat plants may due to few genetic variations and some metabolic changes in the Triticum. aestivum. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The current study indicated that the potent efficacy of imidacloprid against different aphid spp. which were the most insect pest in wheat plants. As well as the application of imidacloprid as seed dressing insecticide, significantly increase carbohydrate, protein, amino acids, and RNA content in T. aestivum plants. While there was no significant increase in DNA in treated one. The recorded increase in these biochemical parameters may due to the increase in the gene expressions as a result of the application of such pesticides. These results explain the extra mechanism of the effect of imidacloprid against sucking insects. Also, the conducted results explain the effect of imidacloprid as a seed dressing insecticide in wheat crop protection from sucking insects and increasing seed germination, increasing seed wheat and number of seeds/spike.

The influence of MoO3-NPs on agro-morphological criteria, genomic stability of DNA, biochemical assay, and production of common dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Molybdenum is considered one of the most important micronutrients applied as a foliar fertilizer for common dry bean. In this study, molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoO3-NPs) were applied in different concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 ppm) over two sequent seasons, 2018 and 2019, to investigate their effect on the plant morphological criteria, yield, and the genomic stability of DNA. The results showed that the application of 40 ppm MoO3-NPs as a foliar fertilizer showed preferable values of plant morphological criteria, such as the number of leaves and branches per plant, as well as the fresh and dry weight with regard to the common bean plant. In addition, the seed yield increased by 82.4% and 84.1% with 40 ppm, while the shoot residue increased by 32.2% and 32.1% with 20 ppm of MoO3-NPs during two seasons, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Furthermore, the common bean treated with 20 and 40 ppm MoO3-NPs had positive unique bands with ISSR primer 848 at 1400 bp (Rf 0.519) and with primer ISSR2M at 200 bp (Rf 0.729), respectively. In addition, SDS-PAGE reveald some proteins in seedlings which were absent in the flowering stage at 154, 102, 64, 37 and 34 KDa, which may be due to differences in plant proteins required for metabolic processes in each stage. In conclusion, the application of 40 ppm MoO3-NPs was more effective on the productivity of the common bean plants.

Trichinella spiralis Infecting Wild Boars in Southern Chile: Evidence of an Underrated Risk.

Trichinellosis in Chilean wild animals has scarcely been documented. The introduction of wild boars into the wild environment represents a viable new host with a potential risk of infection for human health. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and prevalence of Trichinella in wild boars. Two hundred seventy eight wild boars from of the Southern Chile were examined by compression and artificial digestion techniques. The larvae in the positive samples were collected for taxonomic analysis through polymerase chain reaction-inter-simple sequence repeats and to calculate the parasitic burden. A prevalence of 1.8% (5/278) of infected animals and an average parasitic burden of 6.8 ± 2.1 larvae per gram were estimated. The only species identified by molecular techniques was Trichinella spiralis. Prevalence of T. spiralis in wild boars was similar to those described around the world. T. spiralis infection rate and parasite burden detected in Chilean wild boars represent a certain food-borne risk for human population.

Genetic variability and spatial distribution in small geographic scale of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) under different climatic conditions in Northeastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The study of the genetic structure of Aedes aegypti is essential to understanding their population dynamics as well as for the analysis of factors responsible for their resistance and ecological adaptation. The use of molecular markers in identifying differences amongst populations of Ae. aegypti in different geographical areas as well as the temporal variation of the vector populations has contributed to the improvement of vector control strategies. The present study aims to determine the genetic variability of Ae. aegypti populations in a small geographical area (state of Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil) by means of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular markers. RESULTS: ISSR markers revealed a more heterogeneous pattern of genetic diversity among the populations with an expected heterozygosity (H E) ranging from 0.261 ± 0.03 to 0.120 ± 0.032, while a similar trend was detected through SNPs across populations with an H E between 0.375 ± 0.054 and 0.269 ± 0.042. The population's genetic differentiation assessed with ISSR and SNP markers indicated a very low structuring among the populations with the highest diversity observed within the populations 72 % (ISSR) and 92 % (SNP). Clustering analysis also suggested little variation among populations: the seven populations were grouped into only three ISSR clusters and a single panmictic group based on SNP markers. The present study identified a close relationship between the populations, which probably results mainly from passive gene flow between mosquitoes from distinct geographic regions, influenced by humans commuting along roads. CONCLUSIONS: There was an intense migration of mosquitos across municipalities, leading to a potential increase in risk of arbovirus and insecticide resistance associated-alleles spreading between mosquito populations.

Morphological and molecular profiling of Spirogyra from northeastern and northern Thailand using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers.

Green algae, Spirogyra (Chlorophyta), are found in a wide range of habitats including small stagnant water bodies, rivers, and streams. Species identification of Spirogyra based on morphological characteristics has proven to be a difficult process. An accurate identification method is required to evaluate genetic variations. This study is aimed at investigating the molecular profiling of 19 samples of Spirogyra from northern and northeastern Thailand. The morphological characteristics of each sample were recorded, viz. cell dimensions (width and length), along with the number and arrangement of chloroplast spirals/pyrenoids. With regard to a correlation of the biological and ecological parameters, conductivity was clearly significantly related to the number of pyrenoids. While DO is negatively related to the number of chloroplast spirals. Molecular studies with 10 ISSR primers were amplified to examine the DNA fingerprints. Morphological characters were determined to be significantly different by revealing 5 traits (P < 0.05) for all specimens. In addition, the DNA markers of all specimens were investigated using 10 ISSR primers. The results show that the PCR technique amplified 108 fragments. An analysis of the DNA fragments grouped all samples by ISRR-PCR, which were then separated into two groups according to their distribution.

Molecular, biochemical and anatomical analysis of some potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars growing in Egypt.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is widely used for many industrial and food applications. Nine potato cultivars were planted and collected from a private farm in new Salihiyyah city, Sharkia governorate, Egypt to compare between them at morphological, molecular, biochemical and anatomical levels. Our results indicated that the Inova cultivar was better, however the Bafana cultivar was worse in relation to yield parameters. Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular marker has been used to determine the genetic diversity between these nine cultivars. Through using ten primers we obtained 98 bands, 85 of which were polymorphic by 87%. The highest similarity value (0.827) was found between Caruso and Alliance as the closest but the lowest value (0.418) was found between Charlotte and Bafana as the most distant. Everest tuber contained great amounts of total phenolic and peroxidase activity, while the Bafana tuber contained small amounts of it compared to other cultivars. The phellem layer of the Everest tuber had more thickness than others and the number of phellem rows was the highest. However, the Bafana cultivar listed the lowest value compared to other cultivars. Lower values from both of total bacterial and total fungi were recorded on the tuber of the Everest cultivar. However, Bafana cultivar was recorded to have a higher value of both compared to other cultivars. We suggest that the ISSR marker is a suitable procedure to examine the potato's genetic diversity at the DNA level. The Everest cultivar is considering the best cultivar to planting and breeding in Egypt.

Population genetic structure of Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. (Iridaceae) in Itapuã State Park, Southern Brazil.

Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. is a member of the family Iridaceae, which is distributed over the American continent. In Brazil, this species is found, not only in disturbed areas and coastal regions, but is also very common in urban centers, such as public parks, during the spring. Chromosome counts for North American specimens are 2n = 32 and 2n = 48, whereas in southern Brazil, there is a polyploidy series with three chromosome numbers, 2n = 16, 2n = 32, and 2n = 48. Population analyses using DNA molecular markers are inexistent for this species, in spite of its wide distribution and morphological variation. To study the genetic population structure of S. micranthum, five natural populations were accessed in a conservation park within the Atlantic Rain Forest Biome in southern Brazil. Here, the chromosome numbers 2n = 16 and 2n = 48 had already been described. Molecular analysis showed that the populations are highly structured with low gene flow among them. The population with 2n = 48 was genetically less variable than and distinct from the other populations. Population genetics in relation to cytogenetic data provided new insights regarding the genetic diversification and mating system of S. micranthum.

Population genetic structure of Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. (Iridaceae) in Itapuã State Park, Southern Brazil

Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. is a member of the family Iridaceae, which is distributed over the American continent. In Brazil, this species is found, not only in disturbed areas and coastal regions, but is also very common in urban centers, such as public parks, during the spring. Chromosome counts for North American specimens are 2n = 32 and 2n = 48, whereas in southern Brazil, there is a polyploidy series with three chromosome numbers, 2n = 16, 2n = 32, and 2n = 48. Population analyses using DNA molecular markers are inexistent for this species, in spite of its wide distribution and morphological variation. To study the genetic population structure of S. micranthum, five natural populations were accessed in a conservation park within the Atlantic Rain Forest Biome in southern Brazil. Here, the chromosome numbers 2n = 16 and 2n = 48 had already been described. Molecular analysis showed that the populations are highly structured with low gene flow among them. The population with 2n = 48 was genetically less variable than and distinct from the other populations. Population genetics in relation to cytogenetic data provided new insights regarding the genetic diversification and mating system of S. micranthum.