Hybridization and introgression events in cooccurring populations of closely related grasses (Poaceae: Stipa) in high mountain steppes of Central Asia

Abstract

Stipa is a genus comprising ca. 150 species found in warm temperate regions of the Old World and around 30% of its representatives are of hybrid origin. In this study, using integrative taxonomy approach, we tested the hypothesis that hybridization and introgression are the explanations of the morphological intermediacy in species belonging to Stipa sect. Smirnovia, one of the species-rich sections in the mountains of Central Asia. Two novel nothospecies, S. magnifica × S. caucasica subsp. nikolai and S. lingua × S. caucasica subsp. nikolai, were identified based on a combination of morphological characters and SNPs markers. SNPs marker revealed that all S. lingua × S. caucasica samples were F1 hybrids, whereas most of S. magnifica × S. caucasica samples were backcross hybrids. Furthermore, the above mentioned hybrids exhibit transgressive morphological characters to each of their parental species. These findings have implications for understanding the process of hybridization in the genus Stipa, particularly in the sect. Smirnovia. As a taxonomic conclusion, we describe the two new nothospecies S. × muksuensis (from Tajikistan) and S. × ochyrae (from Kyrgyzstan) and present an identification key to species morphologically similar to the taxa mentioned above.

Hybrids as mirrors of the past: genomic footprints reveal spatio-temporal dynamics and extinction risk of alpine extremophytes in the mountains of Central Asia

“…Interspecific offspring can derive their fine-scale genetic structure from parental species alongside multiple independent hybridization events ( Zalewska-Gałosz et al., 2023 ). Moreover, frequent gene flow could especially occur among species that demonstrate an overlap between their distribution ranges and share similar ecological niches ( Gramlich et al., 2018 ; Baiakhmetov et al., 2021 ; Buono et al., 2021 ; Wu et al., 2022b ; Sinaga et al., 2024 ). The lack of spatial barriers facilitates reciprocal exposure to gametes and may promote mating between species that have not yet developed reproductive barriers.…”

“…Since India-Eurasia collision, uplift and further dramatic geo-climatic changes promoted unprecedented plant radiations over one of the currently largest orogens in the world ( Mosbrugger et al., 2018 ; Muellner-Riehl, 2019 ; Ding et al., 2020 ). The “Roof of the World”, as the highest parts of High Mountain Asia are commonly called, is therefore one of the most extraordinary areas to determine how hybridization affected diversification and population dynamics of high-mountain organisms ( Wu et al., 2022a ; Sinaga et al., 2024 ).…”

Geographical–Historical Analysis of the Herbarium Specimens Representing the Economically Important Family Amaranthaceae (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae Clade) Collected in 1821–2022 and Preserved in the Herbarium of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow

“…An important aspect is also the studies of phylogenetic relationships. Increasingly, phylogenetic analyses are based on samples collected from herbarium materials, e.g., [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], despite problems related to post-mortem DNA damage [ 23 , 24 ]. Herbaria also play an important role in research related to the distribution of plants.…”