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Influence of Chronic Man-made Pollution on Bromus inermis Genome Size

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Abstract—

Technogenic pollution can accelerate microevolutionary processes in natural populations. We estimated the nuclear DNA content of 10 Bromus inermis Leyss. samples from the Middle and Southern Urals (Russia) by flow cytometry. These populations have grown under different levels of man-made pollution (heavy metals and radionuclides) and background (unexposed) localities. All populations of B. inermis had similar DNA contents, ranging from 21.82 to 23.55 pg/2C. The average DNA content of 22.61 ± 0.45 pg/2C, corresponding to a genome size of 11 056 Mbp/1C, indicates that all tested populations represent the octoploid form (2n = 56). Using a Bayesian linear mixed-effects model, the current materials were compared with previously published data. In general, the DNA contents of the impact populations did not deviate from the background density (p = 0.073–0.983). The current preliminary data do not confirm nor refute the presence of aneuploids in impacted B. inermis populations.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Professor Vera N. Pozolotina (IPAE UB RAS) for her help in the field research and for her recommendations on the article. We also immensely thank Dr. Vladimir S. Mikryukov (IPAE UB RAS) for his help in writing the scripts for the R-program and analysing the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 620144, Ekaterinburg, Russia

    E. V. Antonova

  2. Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Stadt Seeland, OT Gatersleben, 06466, Germany

    Jörg Fuchs & Marion S. Röder

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  1. E. V. Antonova
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Correspondence to E. V. Antonova.

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FUNDING

The collection of field material, radiochemical and spectrometric analyses and soil studies, and dose load calculations were carried out with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no 11-04-01260). The evaluation of genome size was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (project RO 1055/12-1). The determination of the heavy metal concentrations in the soils, data analysis and interpretation of the results were supported by the State Contract of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS (no. 0400-2019-0006).

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Antonova, E.V., Fuchs, J. & Röder, M.S. Influence of Chronic Man-made Pollution on Bromus inermis Genome Size. Russ J Ecol 51, 337–344 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413620040025

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