RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GENOME SIZE, MORPHOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL TRAITS IN SATUREJA (LAMIACEAE) SPECIES

Savory as an aromatic plant has traditionally been used in folk medicine as well as a spice of foods, showing inhibition against bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. There is interest in providing a new focus to contribute, from the perspective of genomic content, towards a better understanding of the Satureja adaptation. Using flow cytometry (FCM), nuclear DNA content of five Satureja (Lamiaceae) species, collected from different locations were analyzed for the first time. Linear regressions of ۲C values were evaluated with ecological and morphological parameters. Flow cytometry measurements showed that ۲C DNA contents varied from ۱.۳۰ to ۱.۴۷ pg in diploid species, and with a ۲C value of ۲.۵۴ pg being obtained for the tetraploid species, S. spicigera. There were significant relationships between genome size and ۱۸ morphological traits and climatic characteristics. These relationships could be resulted from geometrical scaling constraints. The obtained results will enhance the knowledge of the genus Satureja and constitute an important source of information for future researches.

Keywords:

Flow cytometry , genome size , Satureja spp , Ploidy level