Abstract
The genus Disporum (Colchicaceae) comprises approximately 20 species distributed throughout Asia, of which four species (Disporum sessile, D. smilacinum, D. uniflorum, and D. viridescens) are currently recognized in Korea. Mixed-ploidy variations, including odd-ploidy levels within the same species, are important in evolution as they enable backcrosses with their parental cytotypes. However, Korean Disporum species have not been examined in detail with regard to ploidy variation and pollen fertility. Therefore, we document the occurrence of diploids and triploids among the Disporum spp. in Korea and report for the first time that D. sessile and D. smilacinum are both diploid (2n = 2x = 16) and triploid (2n = 3x = 24), though they were previously known as diploids from Korean natural populations. The total haploid chromosome length is variable, ranging from 67.32 µm in diploid D. smilacinum to 108.11 µm in triploid D. smilacinum; however, the karyotypes of the investigated species are similar regardless of the ploidy levels. The occurrence of fertile pollen grains from triploid individuals is approximately two-thirds that from diploid species, but triploid plants show no pollen tube germination compared to their diploid counterparts. Overall, this study presents the first comprehensive chromosomal and pollen fertility data for Korean Disporum species, and thus lays the foundation for better understanding the evolution and diversification of morphologically and cytologically variable plant groups.
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Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate the critical and valuable review of the manuscript provided by anonymous reviewers. The authors thank Mr. Yong-Soon Lee (Kongju National University) and CNUK lab members for their help with field work.
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This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Korea government (NRF-2021R1I1A2045820) to T.-S. Jang.
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HK: plant collection, laboratory procedures, and writing—original draft. BC: conceptualization, plant collection, and review & editing. SS: plant collection, manuscript revision. HHM: plant collection, manuscript revision. TSJ: conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, supervision, plant collection, writing—original draft, review & editing.
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Independent samples t-tests between diploids and triploids in Disporum. smilacinum with t-value (T), degrees of freedom (df) and p-value (P) for every parameter
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Online Resource 1. Previously reported chromosome numbers in the genus Disporum.
Online Resource 2. Pollen viability between diploids and triploids in Disporum smilacinum.
Online Resource 3. Pollen size measurements between diploids and triploids in Disporum smilacinum.
Online Resource 4. Independent samples t-tests between diploids and triploids in Disporum smilacinum with t-value (T), degrees of freedom (df) and p-value (P) for every parameter.
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Kim, H., Choi, B., So, S. et al. Cytological and pollen fertility analysis of diploids and triploids in Korean Disporum species. Plant Syst Evol 310, 11 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-024-01894-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-024-01894-2