Phylogenetic relationship among taxa in the genus Adonis L. collected from Turkiye based on nrDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) markers

Background Genus Adonis L. contain approximately 40 annual and perennial species, which are widely distributed in the temperate zones of Asia and Europe, and less frequently in southwestern Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean region. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phylogenetic relationship among Adonis taxa collected from Turkiye based on nrDNA Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) markers. Methods Samples of 64 individual genotypes from 21 populations of 10 Adonis taxa were collected from different regions of the country during vegetation period between 2014 and 2018. ITS1, ITS4, P16 and P25 primers within ITS technique was used to genotype the plant materials. Then, genotypic data was used to estimate magnitude and organization of infraspecific variation in different populations of Adonis. Results About 600 bp DNA sequences were obtained from each 64 Adonis genotypes belonging to 21 different populations. The dendrogram obtained from Adonis taxa and out-group sequences had two large main groups. While the out-group species were placed in the first large main group, the sect. Consiligo (perennial) and sect. Adonis (annuals) were placed in different sub-groups of the second large main group. Genetic similarity among Adonis taxa varied between A. microcarpa and A. dentata (98.46%). Principal component analysis indicated that two important components in Adonis taxa genotypes. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.0252 (sub-population A) to 0.3460 (sub-population C), with an average of 0.1154. In addition, population differentiation measurements (Fst) ranged from 0.0025 (sub-population C) to 0.9016 (sub-population A) with a relatively high average 0.6601. Conclusions Present analyses revealed that phylogenetic classification (grouping) of Adonis taxa largely depended on morphological structure and present ITS primers were quite efficient in putting forth the genetic diversity of such species. The results of this study suggested that ITS markers could be used in the identification of genetic diversity among the Adonis taxa. The results obtained from molecular data can be used to explore the genetic variation pattern, population structure, and the evolutionary history of genus Adonis in the future.