Ploidy variation in Rhododendron subsection Maddenia and its implications for conservation.

Hu L; Tate JA; Gardiner SE; MacKay M

Ploidy variation in Rhododendron subsection Maddenia and its implications for conservation.

dc.citation.issue	3
dc.citation.volume	15
dc.contributor.author	Hu L
dc.contributor.author	Tate JA
dc.contributor.author	Gardiner SE
dc.contributor.author	MacKay M
dc.contributor.editor	Loureiro J
dc.coverage.spatial	England
dc.date.accessioned	2024-08-18T23:59:12Z
dc.date.available	2024-08-18T23:59:12Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06-01
dc.description.abstract	Polyploidy, which is common in plants, can confound taxon recognition and hence conservation assessments. In the taxonomically complex genus Rhododendron, 25 % of the over 1,300 taxa are considered under threat and 27 % Near Threatened or Data Deficient, with their taxonomy needing to be resolved urgently. Although ploidy levels of Rhododendron taxa range from diploid (2x) to dodecaploid (12x) according to previous reports, the extent of polyploidy across the genus has not been examined. We first summarized the taxonomic distribution of polyploids in the genus based on the literature. Then as a case study, we estimated ploidy levels of 47 taxa in subsection Maddenia (subgenus Rhododendron, section Rhododendron) using flow cytometry, together with verification of meiotic chromosome counts for representative taxa. The summary of reported ploidy in Rhododendron indicates that polyploidy is most common in subgenera Pentanthera and Rhododendron. In subsection Maddenia, all examined taxa are diploids except for the R. maddenii complex that shows a high ploidy variation (2-8x, 12x). We investigated ploidy level of 12 taxa in subsection Maddenia for the first time, and estimated genome sizes of two Rhododendron species. Knowledge of ploidy levels will inform phylogenetic analysis of unresolved species complexes. Overall, our study of subsection Maddenia provides a model for examining multiple issues including taxonomic complexity, ploidy variation and geographic distribution in relation to biodiversity conservation.
dc.description.confidential	false
dc.edition.edition	June 2023
dc.format.pagination	plad016-
dc.identifier.author-url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37197711
dc.identifier.citation	Hu L, Tate JA, Gardiner SE, MacKay M. (2023). Ploidy variation in Rhododendron subsection Maddenia and its implications for conservation.. AoB Plants. 15. 3. (pp. plad016-).
dc.identifier.doi	10.1093/aobpla/plad016
dc.identifier.eissn	2041-2851
dc.identifier.elements-type	journal-article
dc.identifier.issn	2041-2851
dc.identifier.pii	plad016
dc.identifier.uri	https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71333
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company
dc.publisher.uri	https://academic.oup.com/aobpla/article/15/3/plad016/7116018
dc.relation.isPartOf	AoB Plants
dc.rights	(c) 2023 The Author/s
dc.rights	CC BY 4.0
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Biodiversity conservation
dc.subject	Rhododendron
dc.subject	flow cytometry
dc.subject	polyploidy
dc.subject	subsection Maddenia
dc.subject	taxonomic complexity
dc.title	Ploidy variation in Rhododendron subsection Maddenia and its implications for conservation.
dc.type	Journal article
pubs.elements-id	461671
pubs.organisational-group	Other