Molecular phylogenetic studies on Asparagus (Asparagaceae) revealed the position of the highly endangered Irano-Turkish halophytic species A. lycaonicus P.H.Davis related to A. officinalis L.
H. Akhani, Hussaini Abdollahi, O. Ürker, Maryam Malekmohammadi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Asparagus lycaonicus P.H.Davis (Asparagaceae), a highly interesting halophytic species was found in two disjunct populations of ca. 1550 km aerial distance, one in Central Anatolia (Bolluk Salt Lake) and the other in Central Iran (Meyghan Salt Lake). Using one nuclear phytochrome C (PHYC) and two plastid regions (trnH-psbA and trnD-T) the phylogenetic position of this Irano-Turkish endemic species was studied. In contrast to low resolution of plastid sequences, the PHYC provides good resolution for understanding species level phylogeny in SW Asian Asparagus. Molecular data confirms a conspecific position of the two disjunct localities in Turkey and Iran and their position in a clade containing cultivated Asparagus and many other Irano-Turkish species. Asparagus lycaonicus is extremely rare in Iran and since its discovery in 1986, it has never been rediscovered in Iran, even in its initial collection site. Intensive land use activities, water level changes and the passage of Arak wastewater into the Meyghan Salt Lake area has drastically changed the habitat of A. lycaonicus and might have caused its extinction. Since its discovery in 1960 in Turkey, the species is only found in a small area around and inside a sodic extraction factory around Bolluk Lake. Considering the critical condition of its populations in Iran and Turkey, we evaluate the conservation status of Asparagus lycaonicus as Critically Endangered (CR). In conclusion we urge the authorities to implement in situ measures for conservation and restoration of the habitats of A. lycaonicus, a halophytic species related to cultivated Asparagus. The taxonomic status of some newly described Asparagus from Iran is discussed with reducing A. touranensis Hamdi & Assadi to synonym of A. griffithii Baker., A. khorasanensis Hamdi & Assadi to synonym of A. breslerianus Schult. & Schult.f, and Asparagus bojnurdensis Hamdi & Assadi to synonym of A. verticillatus L.
期刊介绍:
Phytotaxa is a peer-reviewed, international journal for rapid publication of high quality papers on any aspect of systematic and taxonomic botany, with a preference for large taxonomic works such as monographs, floras, revisions and evolutionary studies and descriptions of new taxa. Phytotaxa covers all groups covered by the International Code of Nomenclature foralgae, fungi, and plants ICNafp (fungi, lichens, algae, diatoms, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and vascular plants), both living and fossil. Phytotaxa was founded in 2009 as botanical sister journal to Zootaxa. It has a large editorial board, who are running this journal on a voluntary basis, and it is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland , New Zealand). It is also indexed by SCIE, JCR and Biosis.
All types of taxonomic, floristic and phytogeographic papers are considered, including theoretical papers and methodology, systematics and phylogeny, monographs, revisions and reviews, catalogues, biographies and bibliographies, history of botanical explorations, identification guides, floras, analyses of characters, phylogenetic studies and phytogeography, descriptions of taxa, typification and nomenclatural papers. Monographs and other long manuscripts (of 60 printed pages or more) can be published as books, which will receive an ISBN number as well as being part of the Phytotaxa series.