Authors
Tyler W Smith, Charlotte Walinga, Song Wang, Paul Kron, Jan Suda, Juan Zalapa
Publication date
2015
Journal
Botany
Volume
93
Issue
10
Pages
623-636
Publisher
NRC Research Press
Description
Vaccinium oxycoccos s.l. is a complex of diploid and polyploid plants. The taxonomic relationship between the cytotypes is uncertain, with conflicting treatments in recent revisions. To clarify this situation, we investigated the relationships among ploidy, morphology, and genetic diversity in this group. We collected samples from a 1000 km transect in eastern Canada. We used flow cytometry to determine DNA ploidy, completed a morphometric analysis of flowering stems, and assessed genetic diversity using AFLPs. Diploids only occurred growing in mixed populations with tetraploids. There were statistically significant morphological differences between ploidies; however, tetraploid variation encompasses the diploid range for most characters. AFLP data demonstrate that the tetraploids have undergone genetic divergence since their formation, obscuring whether they are auto- or allo-polyploids. Our results agree …
Total citations
201720182019202020212022646211