Adil GÜNER, Vehbi ESER - optima

Posters
MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENETIC VARIATION OF POLYMORPHIC
SPECIES PICRIS HIERACIOIDES (COMPOSITAE) IN CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE
138
Marek SLOVÁK, Jaromír KU�ERA, Karol MARHOLD, Judita LIHOVÁ
Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, Slovakia,
marek.slovak@savba.sk, jaromir.kucera@savba.sk, karol.marhold@savba.sk, judita.lihova@savba.sk
Picris hieracioides is a highly polymorphic and taxonomically critical species widespread in
Europe, extending to Asia, and introduced to other continents. Up to ten different subspecies
have been recognised in Europe, but critical evaluation of the species variation across a large
geographic area and using advanced taxonomic tools is still missing. Here we aim to
undertake a large-scale taxonomic revision and get insights into the evolution of P.
hieracioides, focusing on morphological variation (field-collected and cultivated population
samples), molecular AFLP markers, and their correlation with previously published genome
size data. For comparative purposes, the closely related species P. hispidissima, P. japonica
and P. nuristanica are included.
Morphometric analyses of field-collected and cultivated samples of P. hieracioides delimit
two morphotypes, the ‘higher altitude’ (HA) morphotype and the ‘lower altitude’ (LA)
morphotype, differing also in their life history traits, ecological preferences, and genome size.
Whereas P. hispidissima and P. nuristanica can be morphologically clearly separated from P.
hieracioides, individuals of P. japonica are intermingled within the HA morphotype of P.
hieracioides. Results of AFLP analyses reveal two genetically separated groups within P.
hieracioides, corresponding to the above-mentioned morphotypes. Further genetic structuring
is observed within both groups, which is partly congruent with the genome size data and
shows geographic patterns. Furthermore, AFLP data support a distinct position of both Asian
taxa (P. japonica and P. nuristanica). On the other hand, P. hispidissima appear to be
genetically very close to P. hieracioides.
In conclusion, the infraspecific pattern in P. hieracioides strongly contrasts with traditional
taxonomic concepts. The two morphological and genetic groups circumscribed here warrant
taxonomic recognition, and we suggest their recognition at the subspecific level. Hypotheses
on their evolutionary and phylogeographic history are discussed.
Keywords: Pıcrıs hieracioides, Asteraceae, AFLP, multivariate morphometrics, taxonomy
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