GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF TWO PHENOTYPES OF PLANTAGO MEDIA L. IN SOUTH TIMAN

Abstract

Background. The investigation of the genetic nature of plant phenotypic variability is of great importance for understanding biological diversity, distribution and adaptation of plants to environmental conditions. The aim of our work was to study the genetic differentiation of two phenotypes of Plantago media in South Timan. Materials and methods. The genetic differentiation of light and shadow phenotypes of Plantago media plants was evaluated using intersimple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Results. The population-genetic analysis of 210 loci revealed two clusters, which boundaries coincided with the boundaries between plants of light and shadow phenotypes. The results of the discriminatory analysis of the main components and AMOVA (FST = 0.07, p = 0.001) confirmed that there are statistically significant genetic differences between these phenotypes even though they possess a high genetic similarity. Conclusion. Light and shadow Plantago media phenotypes adapted to different ecological conditions are genetically differentiated. The population genetic analysis using ISSR markers is a sensitive tool for identifying the genetic diversity of phenotypic plant variations formed under the influence of environmental factors.