Abstract
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.
Highlights
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
It is known from historical records that the Carpathian ranges were colonized by the Wallachian tribes from the Balkans northward, who were accompanied by sheep breeds that can be dated back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries[3,4,5,6]
All genetic variation values were consistently highest in populations Tatra JU and Pieniny BW
Summary
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 landscape is dominated by resistance to weathering rocks of Jurassic and Lower-Cretaceous origins, which contribute to the extraordinary richness of the site and microclimate conditions It is located at a distance of only 20 km from the floristic center of the Tatra Mts. The uniqueness of the flora of the Pieniny Mts underlines the presence of endemics: Neogene Taraxacum pieninicum Pawł. The sites where sheep and cattle were kept in pens and sites around shepherds’ huts are dominated by anthropogenic, nitrophilous plant communities[7,8].Traditional shepherding in the montane forest zone led to the origin of unique meadow community Gladiolo-Agrostietum capillaris assoc., growing on the shallow rendzinas of sites of previous lower montane beech forest[9] This is an endemic plant association for the Western Carpathians. Long-term regular extensive management is essential for the persistence of these p opulations[15]
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