Publication details
Molecular variability in Poa pratensis agg. in Montana
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2003 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Monocots III: Abstracts, The Third International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocotyledons & The Fourth International Symposium on Grass Systematics and Evolution |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | http://www.monocots3.org/pdf/abstracts.pdf |
| Field | Botany |
| Keywords | flow cytometry; Poa pratensis agg.; Poaceae; RFLP; trnL-F |
| Description | Poa pratensis agg. (Kentucky bluegrass) is a widely cultivated turf grass and has a broad distribution in temperate regions. There is on-going debate whether all members of P. pratensis agg. in North America are present as the result of introduction by European colonists, or whether some are the descendants of much earlier migrants. Flow cytometry measurement of relative DNA content and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the chloroplast trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic spacer showed that plants collected from throughout the state of Montana were variable at the molecular level. Relative DNA content was determined for 45 plants from 26 locations and, using a known standard, was converted to number of chromosomes. Eight plants, many from cultivated sites, had 44 to 46 chromosomes. Thirty-six plants, nearly all from natural sites, made up an almost complete series from 52 to 64 chromosomes. One plant had 78 chromosomes. These plants differ from 89 plants collected throughout Europe in that the European plants have a wider range of chromosome numbers (from 30 to 81) and only 9 European plants had between 52 and 64 chromosomes. RFLP analysis was undertaken for 53 plants (at the 95% confidence level, all types representing 10% or more of the population have been sampled). Three haplotypes (Type H - 38 plants, Type M - 8 plants, and Type S - 7 plants) were found in Montana. For 71 plants from Europe and Asia, the distribution was Type H - 6 plants, Type M - 7 plants, and Type S - 58 plants. |
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