Laying the cytotaxonomic foundations of a new model grass, Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv.
Brachypodium distachyon is a ubiquitous, temperate grass species which is being developed and exploited as an alternative model to rice, in order to gain access to important syntenic regions of the genomes of less tractable relatives such as wheat. As part of this initiative, this paper describes for the first time the cytotaxonomy of members of the polyploid series of this species, and challenges the assumption that the series evolved simply by chromosome doubling. In situ hybridization using genomic DNA probes and rDNA markers uncovers a hybrid origin of several of the polyploid ecotypes, and sheds light upon the complex evolution of this species and its close relatives.
Hasterok
Robert
R
Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, University of Silesia, Jagiellonska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland.
Draper
John
J
Jenkins
Glyn
G
D020223:Chromosome Painting; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics*; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics*; D018745:Genome, Plant; D007621:Karyotyping; D006109:Poaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D011123:Polyploidy; D013045:Species Specificity
D015342:DNA Probes; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal