Microsoft Word - S-3. BJPT 17 - 30 Edt_SCommu_061217.doc Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 24(2): 241–244, 2017 (December) - Short communication © 2017 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists   A NOTE ON ASTRAGALUS L. SECTION CAPRINI DC. REZA SHEIKHAKBARI-MEHR1 AND ALI ASGHAR MAASSOUMI2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Qom, P.O. Box 37161-46611, Qom, Iran. Keywords: Astragalus; Iran; Phylogeny; Taxonomy. Astragalus sect. Caprini DC. is a probably heterogeneous but mostly easily recognizable section within the genus. The members of this section are distributed in subalpine and alpine areas of Iran where that are considered as a secondary center of biodiversity for the section (Podlech, 1986; Mahmoodi et al., 2012). This section is characterized by having basifixed hairs; unilocular, bilocular, or semi-bilocular pods; and relatively large yellow flowers arranged in rather few- flowered short inflorescences (Podlech, 1999). After establishing by de Candolle (1825), the section was subdivided into various groups, mainly informal groups, by different authors (Bunge, 1869; Gontcharov et al., 1965; Podlech, 1988). Podlech’s comprehensive work on the section Caprini led to the subsectional classification each in turn, comprised of several informal groups (Podlech, 1988). These infrasectional grouping were not reflected in taxonomic treatment of Iranian species of the section, accomplished by Maassoumi (2003). Based on recent molecular analyses of section Caprini and its allies, Riahi et al. (2011) concluded that all subsections of sect. Caprini in Iran are not monophyletic and thus introduced seven groups within section with a distinctive synapomorphy for each one. In a more recent comprehensive taxonomic revision of Astragalus in the Old World, subsectional classification were not considered by Podlech and Zarre, so that they put all members of the section within six morphological groups (Podlech and Zarre, 2013). In the present study, we aim to examine the subspecific classification within Iranian native species, A. macropelmatus Bunge, using nrDNA ITS sequence. This species belongs to section Caprini group Purpurascetes, and contains two subspecies in Iran (Maassoumi, 2003). The plants of this group is characterized by having merely white pilose indumentum or sometimes glabrous, purple flowers and the upper surface of leaflets without indumentum and finely toothed corolla keel (Podlech and Zarre,2013). The main objective of this study is to evaluate the subspecific ranking validity under A. macropelmatus Bunge, based on nrDNA ITS phylogenetic analysis and morphology comparing. A total of 13 taxa belonging to Astragalus sect. Caprini were included in a phylogenetic analysis using nrDNA ITS sequence (Table 1). Outgroups were selected according to previous studies (Riahi et al., 2011). Morphological characteristics, which are used to distinguish subspecies of A. macropelmatus, have been presented in Table 2. The length of aligned nrDNA ITS dataset among ingroups was 603 nucleotide sites, of which 26 sites were parsimony informative characters. In order to examine the occurrence of transitions/transversions among intended subspecies, nucleotide pair frequencies were compared and results represented in Table 3. The phylogenetic tree obtained from the Bayesian analysis with posterior probabilities (PP) and bootstrap values is presented in Fig. 1. This tree was similar to that of MP in general topology 1Corresponding author: reza.sheikhakbari@gmail.com; r.sheikhakbari@qom.ac.ir 2Department of Botany, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, P.O. Box 13185-116, Tehran, Iran; maassoumi@rifr-ac.ir 242  SHEIKHAKBARI-MEHR AND MAASSOUMI    (tree not shown here). Based on present result, two subspecies of A. macropelmatus formed a sister group as a subclade at the base of tree (Fig. 1). The difference in the branch lengths of the phylogram (Fig. 1) indicates different evolutionary rates in the DNA sequence. A. citrinus and A. curvipes united together and A. nephtonensis Freyn placed as a sister to this group. Table 1. Taxa included in the nrDNA ITS analysis. Taxa Locality, Voucher GenBank accession no. A. macropelmatus (=A. macropelmatus subsp. macropelmatus) Isfahan, Ghamishloo: Yusefi, 980 (TARI) LC128065 A. pseudobuchtormensis (=A. macropelmatus subsp. Pseudobuchtormensis) Baluchestan, Zahedan: Assadi, 22822 (TARI) LC128066 A. citrinus Khorasan, Kalate Naderi: Assadi and Maassoumi, 55843 (TARI) LC128064 A. aegobromus Boiss. & Hohen. Mazandaran, Kandavan: Maassoumi 55116 (TARI) AB051953 A.curvipes Trautv. Khorasan, Quchan: Maassoumi 47553 (TARI) AB051955 A.nephtonensis Freyn Gorgan, Shahmirzad to Sari: Maassoumi 55006 (TARI) AB051957 A.dieterlei Podlech Afghanistan, Bamian: Mirtajaddini 19500 (TARI) AB051961 A.vereskensis Maassoumi & Podlech Mazandaran, Kiasar: Maassoumi 55016 (TARI) AB051959 A.peltatus Podlech & I.Deml Afghanistan, Kataghan: Rechinger 37517 (TARI) AB052034 A. multijugus DC. Markazi, Arak: Mozaffarian and Maassoumi 47957 (TARI) AB051956 A. vulcanicus Bornm. Mazandaran, Polur: Maassoumi 55134 (TARI) AB051960 A. urmiensis Bunge Qazvin: Maassoumi 55137 (TARI) AB051958 Table 2. Morphological comparison between two subspecies of A. macropelmatus. Taxa/Morphological Feature Leaflet Shape Leaflet size (mm) peduncle Calyx length (mm) Standard length (mm) Wing auricle (mm) Pod length (mm) - subsp. macropelmatus (= A. macropelmatus) Narrow oblong, narrow ovate 4–10 × 1.5–3 subsessile 10–12 17–23 1.5–2.5 15–22 - subsp. pseudobuchtormensis (= A. pseudobuchtormensis) Ovate, wide elliptic or orbicular 2–5 × 2–3.5 pedunculated 0.5–2 (-5) 13–16 22–29 3–4 20-32 A NOTE ON ASTRAGALUS L. SECTION CAPRINI 243   Fig. 1. Fifty percent majority-rule consensus tree derived from analysis of the nrDNA ITS sequences of studied taxa, using Bayesian method. The numbers above and below branches show posterior probability and bootstrap value, respectively. Table 3. Nucleotide pair frequencies and discrepancies between two subspecies studied of A. macropelmatus. Taxa\Domain ii* si sv R TT TC TA TG CC CA CG AA AG GG Total A. macropelmatus 597 5 1 5 153 3 0 0 148 0 1 130 2 166 603 *ii = Identical Pairs, si = Transitional Pairs, sv = Transversional Pairs, R = si/sv DNA sequences analyzed here, revealed some differences between two subspecies of A. macropelmatus (Table 3). Širjaev and Rechinger introduced A. pseudobuchtormensis, as a distinct species, in 1953. Later on, Parsa (1966) reduced this species to the variety level of A. buchtormensis Pall. as A. buchtormensis var. pseudobuchtormensis (Širj. and Rech. f.) Parsa. Eventually, Podlech (1988) described A. pseudobuchtormensis as a subspecies under A. macropelmatus. Based on present molecular analysis, disparity of sequences observed between two subspecies of A. macropelmatus, could be defined as five transitional plus one transversional nucleotide substitutions (Table 3). These differences from a molecular view along with various morphological discrepancies (Table 2) persuaded us to return A. macropelmatus subsp. pseudobuchtormensis to its previous specific rank. From the geographical distribution viewpoint, -subsp. macropelmatus is confined to West and Central Iran and -subsp. pseudobuchtormensisis restricted to the Eastern part of Iran. Taxonomic treatment A. macropelmatus Bunge, Mem. Acad. Imp. Sei. Saint Petersbourg 11, 16: 36 (1868) in clave et I.e. 15, 1: 43 (1869). A. rarus Širj. and Rech. f., Anz. Math.-Nat. Kl. Österr. Akad. Wiss. 90: 183 (1953). 244  SHEIKHAKBARI-MEHR AND MAASSOUMI    Lectotype: Persia borealis: In mont. Derbend, Th. Kotschy 660. A. macropelmatus subsp. macropelmatus Podlech, Mitt. Bot. Staatss. Munchen 25: 735 (1988). A. pseudobuchtormensis Širj. and Rech. f., Anz. Math.-Nat. Kl. Österr. Akad. Wiss. 90: 183 (1953). A. turbat-haidaiensis Širj. and Rech. f., l. c.: 162 (1953).A. Aitchisonii Širj. and Rech. f., Dan. Biol. Skr., 9 (3): 67 (1958) non Baker. A. subconduplicatus Ali, Kew Bull. 13: 315 (1958). A. macropelmatus subsp. pseudobuchtormensis (Širj. and Rech. f.) Podlech, Mitt. Bot. Staatss. Munchen 25: 735 (1988). Syn. Nov. Holotype: Persia: Khorasan, inter Birjand et Kain, K. H. Rechinger fil. P. Aellen and E. Esfandiari 4181 (W). Acknowledgments We would like to thank to the Director and Curator of National Central Herbarium of Iran (TARI) for giving opportunity to study required specimens. Also we wish to thank Professor Shahrokh, Kazempour Osaloo for his helpful comments. References Bunge, A.V. 1869. Generis Astragali species gerontogeae. Mémoires de l'Académie impériale des sciences de St.-Pétersbourg 15: 1–254. De Candolle, A.P. 1825. Notice sur quelques genres et especes nouvelles de legumineuses. Ann. Sci. Nat. 4: 90–103. Gontcharov, N., Borissova, A., Gorskova, S., Popov, M., Vasilchenko, I., Komarov, V. and Shishkin, B. 1965. Astragalus. In: Komarov, V. and Shishkin, B. (Eds.), Flora USSR. Israel Program for ScientificTranslations/Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, Jerusalem/ Washington, pp. 1–918. Maassoumi, A.A. 2003. Papilionaceae I (Astragalus). In: Assadi, et al. (Eds.), Flora of Iran. Vol. 43. Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland Publication, Tehran, pp. 1–386. Mahmoodi, M., Maassoumi, A. and Jalili, A. 2012. Distribution patterns of Astragalus in the old world based on some selected sections. Rostaniha 13: 39–56. Podlech, D. 1986. Taxonomic and phytogeographical problems in Astragalus of the Old World and South- West Asia.Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Section B. Biological Sciences 89: 37–43. Podlech, D. 1988. Revision von Astragalus L. sect. Caprini DC.(Leguminosae). Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. Munch. 25: 1–924. Podlech, D. 1999. Papilionaceae III. In: Rechinger, K. H. (Ed.). Flora Iranica. Vol. 174. Akademische Druck- u Verlagsanstalt, Wien, Austria, pp. 154–335. Podlech, D. and Zarre, SH. 2013. A taxonomic revision of the genus Astragalus L. (Leguminosae) in the Old World. Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien, Austria, pp. 2439. Riahi, M., Zarre, S., Maassoumi, A.A.S. and Wojciechowski, M.F. 2011. Towards a phylogeny for Astragalus section Caprini (Fabaceae) and its allies based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequences. Plant Systematics and Evolution 293: 119–133. (Manuscript received 5 March 2017; revised on 26 August 2017)