Polyploidy and hybridization in the Mediterranean: unravelling the evolutionary history of Centaurium (Gentianaceae).

Background And Aims: Polyploidy is considered one of the main mechanisms of plant evolution and speciation. In the Mediterranean Basin, polyploidy has contributed to making this region a biodiversity hotspot, along with its geological and climatic history and other ecological and biogeographical factors. The Mediterranean genus Centaurium (Gentianaceae) comprises ~25 species, of which 60 % are polyploids, including tetraploids and hexaploids.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Assessed Using Microsatellite (SSR) Markers from Relict Populations of (Nymphaeaceae).

The genus (Nymphaeaceae) comprises aquatic plant species inhabiting freshwater bodies of the Northern hemisphere temperate regions known as yellow water-lilies. and are the only representatives in the European continent and present different ecologies: the former is a widespread generalist, while the latter is restricted to northern latitudes or high-altitudes due to its requirements for colder and oligotrophic waters. The Central Europe mountainous areas, the Massif Central (France) and the Cantabrian Mountains (north Iberian Peninsula) harbor relict isolated populations endangered by eutrophication and hybridization with .

What Hides in the Heights? The Case of the Iberian Endemism .

is a recently described species belonging to a complex genus of grasses. It inhabits stony soils at heights ranging from 1600 to 2200 m in Picos de Europa (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain). This species is morphologically very similar to , partially sharing its presumed distribution range.

Relevance of DNA preservation for future botany and ecology.

The use of molecular methods in plant systematics and taxonomy has increased during the last decades; however, the accessibility of curated genetic samples and their metadata is a bottleneck for DNA-based genetic studies in botany. Plant biodiversity DNA banks and DNA-friendly collections could be critical suppliers of curated genetic material for researchers in the current context of plant biodiversity loss. Here, we aimed to understand the potential of plant DNA banks and DNA-friendly collections to enhance the growth and openness of scientific knowledge.