On the origins of Balkan endemics: the complex evolutionary history of the Cyanus napulifer group (Asteraceae).

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

The Balkan Peninsula is one of the most important centres of plant diversity in Europe. Here we aim to fill the gap in the current knowledge of the evolutionary processes and factors modelling this astonishing biological richness by applying multiple approaches to the Cyanus napulifer group.

Methods

To reconstruct the mode of diversification within the C. napulifer group and to uncover its relationships with potential relatives with x = 10 from Europe and Northern Africa, we examined variation in genetic markers (amplified fragment length polymorphisms [AFLPs]; 460 individuals), relative DNA content (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole [DAPI] flow cytometry, 330 individuals) and morphology (multivariate morphometrics, 40 morphological characters, 710 individuals)

SUBMITTER: Olsavska K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5091721 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature