Adil GÜNER, Vehbi ESER - optima

A NUMERICAL TAXONOMIC STUDY IN THE TAXA OF GENUS
NIGELLA L. (RANUNCULACEAE)
Dilek ÖZÇEL�K 1 , Ali A. DÖNMEZ 1 , Zübeyde U�URLU 1
1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey;
a.dilek.ozcelik@gmail.com; zubeydeugurlu@gmail.com; donmez@hacettepe.edu.tr
A monographic study of the genus Nigella s.l. is ongoing by the authors. This numerical
taxonomic study is based on about 155 specimens of Nigella collected from the field in
Turkey, Syria, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Greece or from the material
deposited at various herbaria. The measurments and observations have been made on 67
morphological characters and they have been studied for 22 taxa as operational unit (OTU).
The data were analysed with the NTSYSpc package program for understanding similarities
among the OTU’s. According to the obtained phenogram, the taxa belonging to the genera
Garidella and Komaroffia are clearly distinct from the taxa of Nigella. The taxa belong to the
N. arvensis complex are not clearly different from each other with higer similarity index. The
complex requires further taxonomic and nomenclatural studies for resolving the relationship
of them. Yellow flowered species of the genus are also close to each other the results
according to this study.
Keywords: Nigella, phenogram, Ranunculaceae, taxonomy
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND GENOME SIZE VARIATION
IN VERBASCUM (SCROPHULARIACEAE)
Dirk C. ALBACH
Carl von Ossietzky-University, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Oldenburg, Germany
dirk.albach@uni-oldenburg.de
The genus Verbascum with approximately 350 species is one of the largest genera of Turkey
with about 235 species, 80% endemic. Possible reasons for the high estimate of endemicity
are successful adaptation to the dry, Mediterranean climate, diverse topography, variability in
life history (annual, biennial, perennial) and a propensity for hybridization. The importance of
each one of these factors is unknown. In a first step to unravel the success of Verbascum, I
started a DNA-based phylogenetic analysis for the genus. For this purpose herbarium material
was carefully checked and appropriate material collected for 120 species. Initial screening of
nuclear ITS sequences and sequences of two cpDNA regions revealed first incongruencies.
Results will be discussed in the light of existing taxonomic hypotheses for the genus and
morphological characters. One character that will be investigated in parallel to the
phylogenetic analysis is genome size evolution. Genome size is indicative of ploidy changes
but also associated with breeding system and possibly life history variation. Intrageneric
variation so far detected is low and does not support an influence of life history.
Keywords: cpDNA, genome size, ITS, Verbascum
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