Karyological Study of the Genus Gundelia (Compositae) in Turkey

Abstract

Karyotypes in 12 taxa of Gundelia are compared, based on Feulgen-stained somatic metaphase chromosomes. The karyotypes of G. anatolica, G. asperrima, G. cilicica, G. colemerikensis, G. dersim, G. glabra, G. komagenensis, G. mesopotamica, G. munzuriensis and G. vitekii are described for the first time. Karyological analyses indicate relationships among the species with respect to their asymmetry indices. All Gundelia species studied were diploid with 2n = 2x = 18 chromosomes. All karyotypes are symmetrical, consisting of metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. The submetacentric chromosomes of all the investigated specimens contain a secondary constriction. Three chromosome types were identified according to the position of the secondary constrictions. The chromosomes ranged in size from 2.00 mu m to 7.02 mu m. The total haploid chromosome length (THL) varied from 24.97 mu m (G. asperrima) to 42.56 mu m (G. rosea). To determine the karyological relationships among taxa, PCoA (Principal Coordinate Analysis) with six uncorrelated parameters was performed.