Long neglected diversity in the Accursed Mountains (western Balkan Peninsula): Ranunculus bertisceus is a genetically and morphologically divergent new species (original) (raw)
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013
A phylogeographical analysis of Ranunculus platanifolius, a typical European subalpine tall-herb species, indicates the existence of two main genetic lineages based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. One group comprises populations from the Balkan Peninsula and the south-eastern Carpathians and the other includes the remaining part of the range of the species, encompassing the western Carpathians, Sudetes, Alps, Pyrenees and Scandinavia. The main phylogeographical break observed in this species runs across the Carpathians and separates the main parts of this range (western and south-eastern Carpathians), supporting a distinct glacial history of populations in these areas. The high genetic similarity of the Balkan Peninsula and south-eastern Carpathian populations could indicate a common glacial refugium for these contemporarily isolated areas of species distribution. The western and northern part of the species range displays an additional weak differentiation into regional phylogeographical groups, which could have been shaped by isolation in glacial refugia or even by a postglacial isolation. The observed weak phylogeographical structure could also be linked with ecological requirements, allowing survival along streams in relatively low, forested mountain ranges. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014
The Balkans are a major European biodiversity hotspot, however, almost nothing is known about processes of intraspecific diversification of the region's high-altitude biota and their reaction to the predicted global warming. To fill this gap, genome size measurements, AFLP fingerprints, plastid and nuclear sequences were employed to explore the phylogeography of Cerastium dinaricum. Range size changes under future climatic conditions were predicted by niche-based modeling. Likely the most cold-adapted plant endemic to the Dinaric Mountains in the western Balkan Peninsula, the species has conservation priority in the European Union as its highly fragmented distribution range includes only few small populations. A deep phylogeographic split paralleled by divergent genome size separates the populations into two vicariant groups. Substructure is pronounced within the southeastern group, corresponding to the area's higher geographic complexity. Cerastium dinaricum likely responde...
Molecular Ecology, 2008
Although many species have similar total distributional ranges, they might be restricted to very different habitats and might have different phylogeographical histories. In the European Alps, our excellent knowledge of the evolutionary history of silicate-dwelling (silicicole) plants is contrasted by a virtual lack of data from limestone-dwelling (calcicole) plants. These two categories exhibit fundamentally different distribution patterns within the Alps and are expected to differ strongly with respect to their glacial history. The calcicole Ranunculus alpestris group comprises three diploid species of alpine habitats. Ranunculus alpestris s. str. is distributed over the southern European mountain system, while R. bilobus and R. traunfellneri are southern Alpine narrow endemics. To explore their phylogenetic relationships and phylogeographical history, we investigated the correlation between information given by nuclear and chloroplast DNA data. Analyses of amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprints and matK sequences gave incongruent results, indicative for reticulate evolution. Our data highlight historical episodes of range fragmentation and expansion, occasional long-distance dispersal and on-going gene flow as important processes shaping the genetic structure of the group. Genetic divergence, expressed as a rarity index (‘frequency-down-weighted marker values’) seems a better indicator of historical processes than patterns of genetic diversity, which rather mirror contemporary processes as connectivity of populations and population sizes. Three phylogeographical subgroups have been found within the R. alpestris group, neither following taxonomy nor geography. Genetic heterogeneity in the Southern Alps contrasts with Northern Alpine uniformity. The Carpathians have been stepwise-colonised from the Eastern Alpine lineage, resulting in a marked diversity loss in the Southern Carpathians. The main divergence within the group, separating the ancestor of the two endemic species from R. alpestris s. str., predates the Quaternary. Therefore, range shifts produced by palaeoclimatic oscillations seem to have acted on the genetic structure of R. alpestris group on a more regional level, e.g. triggering an allopatric separation of R. traunfellneri from R. bilobus.
Ranunculus Aconitifolius L. (Ranunculaceae), A Taxon New For The Flora Of Serbia
2018
During extensive field investigations on Mt. Željin (central Serbia), <em>Ranunculus aconitifolius </em>L. (Ranunculaceae) was recorded for the first time in Serbia. This species inhabits waterlogged places near springs and streams and is most abundant within vegetation of the <em>Calthion palustris </em>alliance. All known habitats are situated in small areas below the mountain peaks Oglavlje and Ploška Čuka. This paper treats the taxonomic status of <em>R. aconitifolius </em>and presents data on its morphological characteristics, habitat preferences, and distribution in Serbia.
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2004
There is considerable controversy concerning the fate of Alpine plants during Pleistocene glaciations. While some studies have found evidence for nunatak survival, others have explained the present genetic patterns by survival only in peripheral refugia. We investigated 75 populations of high alpine Ranunculus glacialis from its entire Alpine distribution. Phylogeographical analyses of AFLP data revealed four groups of populations. Two of them, located in the western Alps, were genetically isolated from each other and from the eastern groups, whereas the two eastern Alpine groups were genetically more similar to each other. This suggests longer isolation and/or lower levels of gene flow in the two western groups. As all groups are close to, or overlap with, presumed glacial refugia, invoking glacial survival on nunataks is unnecessary to explain the present genetic pattern. Similar to the phylogeographical patterns of R. glacialis, the previously investigated alpine Phyteuma globulariifolium and Androsace alpina, which are also confined to siliceous bedrock, showed strong geographical affinities to peripheral refugial areas and there were large-scale congruencies in the location of these refugia for all three species. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 81, 183–195.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004
There is considerable controversy concerning the fate of Alpine plants during Pleistocene glaciations. While some studies have found evidence for nunatak survival, others have explained the present genetic patterns by survival only in peripheral refugia. We investigated 75 populations of high alpine Ranunculus glacialis from its entire Alpine distribution. Phylogeographical analyses of AFLP data revealed four groups of populations. Two of them, located in the western Alps, were genetically isolated from each other and from the eastern groups, whereas the two eastern Alpine groups were genetically more similar to each other. This suggests longer isolation and/or lower levels of gene flow in the two western groups. As all groups are close to, or overlap with, presumed glacial refugia, invoking glacial survival on nunataks is unnecessary to explain the present genetic pattern. Similar to the phylogeographical patterns of R. glacialis , the previously investigated alpine Phyteuma globulariifolium and Androsace alpina , which are also confined to siliceous bedrock, showed strong geographical affinities to peripheral refugial areas and there were large-scale congruencies in the location of these refugia for all three species.
Revision of occurrence and phytosociology of Ranunculus pedatus Waldst. et Kit. in Slovakia
THAISZIA - JOURNAL OF BOTANY, 2021
Ranunculus pedatus is a Eurasian species with a northern distribution edge in southern Slovakia. In the nineties of the 20th century, it was assumed that the species probably occurs only near Štúrovo. Occurrence in the Hron and Ipeľ basins and several localities in the Podunajská nížina lowland between Komárno and Štúrovo was considered historical. Our research was conducted in the field and herbarium collections of 15 herbaria in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. Except for the well-known occurrence on salt habitats north of Štúrovo, we confirmed the recent occurrence of R. pedatus in Štúrovo town, around Chľaba village and in Ipeľ Basin (Pastovce, Tupá). The new, easternmost Slovak locality was found near the village of Koláre. Recently, 30% of all known sites were confirmed, so we propose reclassifying the species in Slovak Red List from the category critically endangered (CR) to the category endangered (EN). It occurs in salty meadows of the alliance Festucion ...
Acta Biologica Cracoviensia Series Botanica, 2007
The chromosomal and molecular PCR-ISSR+RAPD pattern of high-mountain Aconitum sect. Aconitum in the Sudetes and Carpathians were analyzed to test whether the taxon has common markers in these two mountain systems. In the Sudetes the taxon forms an autopolyploid chromosome complex (2n = 32), and allopolyploid in the neighboring Western Carpathians. The chromosome Giemsa C banding pattern of the allotetraploid Carpathian A. firmum was found to be common to both Sudetic autopolyploid A. plicatum and diploid A. variegatum. The Sudetes are geologically older than the Carpathians, and it is argued that an ancient Sudetic taxon may have contributed to the genome of the Carpathian taxon. The Quaternary glaciations and corresponding range extensions of alpine floras may have facilitated their secondary contact(s). This is supported by a molecular ISSR+RAPD pattern that points to introgression between the Sudetic A. plicatum subsp. sudeticum and Carpathian A. firmum subsp. maninense.