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Genome size, i.e. the total amount of DNA in an unreplicated somatic nucleus is considered an important character in the biology of organisms, and it is especially relevant for land plants given the extraordinary diversity reported. Despite the continuous growth of data and the efforts aimed at increasing our understanding of plant genome size diversity, more data are needed to have an evenly representation across lineages. With this premise in mind, in this work, we investigated genome size, complemented with chromosome data in eight species of the genus Petrorhagia (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey. Chromosome counts made indicate that the species studied are diploid except for one species, P. saxifraga, which is probably a tetraploid, based on previously published estimations of nuclear DNA contents. The presence of both basic chromosome numbers x = 15 and x = 13 is confirmed, the latter being restricted to the species P. hispidula and P. cretica. The counts carried out for the Turkish endemic species, in P. hispidula (2n = 26), P. pamphylica (2n = 30) and P. peroninii (2n = 30) represent novel data for the genus. Nuclear DNA contents ranged from 1.24 to 2.32 pg/2C (varying 1.87-fold). Based on available data, genome expansions in the genus seem to have occurred through different evolutionary mechanisms, such as polyploidy and differential repetitive DNA activation, evidencing contrasting genomic trajectories between closely related taxa. ; This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Innovation - Spanish Government (projects CGL2017-84297-R) and GReB (Grup de Recerca en Biodiversitat i Biosistemàtica vegetals; Generalitat de Catalunya, project 2017SGR1116). J.P. benefited from a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-2274) funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by "ESF Investing in your future". ; 1. Introduction 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Plant material 2.2. Chromosome counts 2.3. Sequence alignment and analysis 2.4. Phylogenetic data mapping 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Chromosome numbers in Petrorhagia: presence of two base chromosome number 3.2. Small genomes are prevalent in the genus Petrorhagia 4. Conclusion Acknowledgements References

5 p. -- Postprint del artículo publicado en Trends in Plant Science. Versión revisada y corregida (difiere de la versión publicada en pequeños retoques en la redacción realizados por la revista) -- ; Here, we propose a new term, 'ethnobotanical convergence', to refer to the similar uses for plants included in the same node of a phylogeny. This phylogenetic approach, together with the 'omics' revolution, shows how combining modern technologies with traditional ethnobotanical knowledge could be used to identify potential new applications of plants. ; T.G. and J.V. were supported by the Catalan Government project 2014SGR514 and the Spanish Government projects CSO2014-59704-P and CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P. J. P. was supported by the European Research Council Synergy grant SyG-2013-610028 IMBALANCE-P, the Spanish Government project CGL2013-48074-P, and the Catalan Government project 2014SGR274. ; Peer reviewed

Capítulo 9, 24 p., gráf. ; The genus Artemisia is one of the largest of the Asteraceae family, with more than 500 species. It is widely distributed mainly across the Northern Hemisphere, being profusely represented in the Old World, with a great centre of diversification in Asia, and also reaching the New World. The evolution of this genus has been deeply studied using different approaches, and polyploidy has been found to perform an important role leading to speciation processes. Karyological, molecular cytogenetic and phylogenetic data have been compiled in the present review to provide a genomic characterization throughout some complexes within the genus. ; This work has been supported by different projects from the DGICYT (Spanish government, CGL2007-64839-C02-01 and 02/BOS, CGL2010-22234-C02-01 and 02/BOS) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government, 2005SGR00344, 2009SGR439). ; Peer reviewed

4 p. ; [EN]Echinops spinosissimus Turra subsp. neumayeri (Vis.) Kožuharov is reported for the first time in Greece, in the peripheral unit of Preveza, close to the Ionian Sea. A closest geographical proximity than previously thought between E. spinosissimus subsp. neumayeri and the other subspecies of E. spinosissimus Turra, subsp. spinosissimus and subsp. bithynicus (Boiss.) Greuter is brought to light. This implies that the eventuality of genetic contacts should be considered when deciphering the evolutionary history of these taxa. ; [FR]Echinops spinosissimus Turra subsp. neumayeri (Vis.) Kožuharov (Asteraceae, Cardueae) : un taxon nouveau pour la flore de Grèce. Echinops spinosissimus Turra subsp. neumayeri (Vis.) Kožuharov est rapporté pour la première fois en Grèce, dans l'unité périphérique de Préveza, près de la mer Ionienne. Cette donnée révèle une proximité géographique plus importante que suspectée avec les autres sous-espèces de E. spinosissimus Turra, subsp. spinosissimus et subsp. bithynicus (Boiss.) Greuter, et implique le besoin de prendre en compte d'éventuels contacts génétiques à l'heure de retracer l'histoire évolutive de ces taxons. ; IS-J benefited of a FPU grant from the Ministerio de Educación and OH benefited of a MICINN and Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contracts from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of the Spanish Government. This work was supported by projects CGL2007-64839-C02-01/BOS and CGL2010-22234-C02-01/BOS of the Spanish Government and 2009/SGR/00439 of the Generalitat de Catalunya. ; Peer reviewed

Infectious diseases represent, as a group, the main cause of mortality in the world. The most important reasons are multidrug-resistant pathogens, the rapid spread of emerging diseases aggravated by globalization, and the extended reach of tropical and vector-borne diseases resulting from continued climate change. Given the increase in these diseases and the limited effectiveness of antibiotics, traditional knowledge can constitute a useful tool to address these new health challenges. The aim of this work is to analyze extensively the available ethnobotanical data linked to infections and infestations in the Catalan linguistic area, with the intention of depicting the panorama of the folk use of herbal products to address the quoted ailments, preserving the popular plant knowledge and management data. The meta-analytic work performed in the present study covers 29 research studies belonging to different regions throughout the Catalan linguistic area. The medicinal ethnoflora to treat infections and infestations in the Catalan linguistic area includes 326 taxa belonging to 78 botanical families of vascular plants. The informant consensus factor (FIC) was 0.92, and the ethnobotanicity index (EI) was 7.26%. Artemisia absinthium (10.98%; 0.37) and Thymus vulgaris (8.06%; 0.27) are the most quoted taxa and have the highest values of the cultural importance index. The most reported use was antihelminthic (30.15%), followed by internal antiseptic (19.43%) and antipyretic (13.69%). The medicinal importance index shows the relevance of the antihelminthic use (14.23) and also the use against measles (10.19). The information is coincidental with at least one of the comprehensive pharmacological literature sources checked for 47.42% of ethnobotanical uses. These results, centered on the plants used to treat infection and infestation diseases, are the first step toward selecting some of the most interesting species to develop phytochemical and pharmacological studies and suggesting an alternative regarding how to face the health emergency involving the expansion of infectious diseases, based on local and traditional knowledge. ; This research was funded by projects 2017SGR001116 and CLTPE/19/051 from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), and PRO 2020/2021-S02VALLES from the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC, Catalan Academy of Sciences and Humanities) ; Abstract Introduction Material and Methods Results and Discussion Concluding Remarks Data Availability Statement Ethics Statement Author Contributions Funding Conflict of Interest Publisher's Note Acknowledgments Supplementary Material Footnotes References

The Genome Size in Asteraceae Database (GSAD, http://www.asteraceaegenomesize.com) has been recently updated, with data from papers published or in press until July 2018. This constitutes the third release of GSAD, currently containing 4350 data entries for 1496 species, which represent a growth of 22.52% in the number of species with available genome size data compared with the previous release, and a growth of 57.72% in terms of entries. Approximately 6% of Asteraceae species are covered in terms of known genome sizes. The number of source papers included in this release (198) means a 48.87% increase with respect to release 2.0. The significant data increase was exploited to study the genome size evolution in the family from a phylogenetic perspective. Our results suggest that the role of chromosome number in genome size diversity within Asteraceae is basically associated to polyploidy, while dysploidy would only cause minor variation in the DNA amount along the family. Among diploid taxa, we found that the evolution of genome size shows a strong phylogenetic signal. However, this trait does not seem to evolve evenly across the phylogeny, but there could be significant scale and clade-dependent patterns. Our analyses indicate that the phylogenetic signal is stronger at low taxonomic levels, with certain tribes standing out as hotspots of autocorrelation between genome size and phylogeny. Finally, we also observe meaningful associations among nuclear DNA content on Asteraceae species and other phenotypical and ecological traits (i.e. plant habit and invasion ability). Overall, this study emphasizes the need to continue generating and analysing genome size data in order to puzzle out the evolution of this parameter and its many biological correlates. ; This work was supported by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (Spanish Government; projects CGL2013– 49097-C2, CGL2016-75694/P AEI/FEDER, UE and CGL2017- 84297-R AEI/FEDER, UE and the Generalitat de Catalunya ("Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats" 2017SGR01116). S.G. benefitted from a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC-2014-16608) from the government of Spain.

1020–1030 p., tablas, gráficos, diagrama -- Postprint del artículo publicado en Plant Journal. Versión revisada y corregida ; The online resource http://www.plantrdnadatabase.com/ stores information on the number, chromosomal locations and structure of the 5S and 18S-5.8S-26S (35S) ribosomal DNAs (rDNA) in plants. This resource was exploited to study relationships between rDNA locus number, distribution, the occurrence of linked (Ltype) and separated (S-type) 5S and 35S rDNA units, chromosome number, genome size and ploidy level. The analyses presented summarise current knowledge on rDNA locus numbers and distribution in plants. We analysed 2949 karyotypes, from 1791 species and 86 plant families, and performed ancestral character state reconstructions. The ancestral karyotype (2n = 16) has two terminal 35S sites and two interstitial 5S sites, while the median (2n = 24) presents four terminal 35S sites and three interstitial 5S sites. Whilst 86.57% of karyotypes show S-type organisation (ancestral condition), the L-type arrangement has arisen independently several times during plant evolution. A non-terminal position of 35S rDNA was found in about 25% of single-locus karyotypes, suggesting that terminal locations are not essential for functionality and expression. Single-locus karyotypes are very common, even in polyploids. In this regard, polyploidy is followed by subsequent locus loss. This results in a decrease in locus number per monoploid genome, forming part of the diploidisation process returning polyploids to a diploid-like state over time. ; This work was supported by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica, government of Spain (CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P), the Generalitat de Catalunya, Government of Catalonia ('Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats', 2014SGR514), the IRBIO ('Institut de Recerca en Biodiversitat'), the Czech Science Foundation (P506-16-02149J) and NERC (UK). SG benefits from a Ramón y Cajal contract from the government of Spain. ; Peer reviewed

11 p., gráf., tablas. ; [EN]Cheirolophus uliginosus is a threatened species, endemic to the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where it occupies a few restricted localities. In our study we analysed the patterns of cpDNA haplotypes variation and reproductive success—germinability—among seven Portuguese populations of varying size. The aim was to examine the reproductive performance of Ch. uliginosus related to genetic structure and population size. The results showed very low within-population variability of cpDNA markers. Our study indicates that the germination rate is significantly reduced in small populations ( 250 individuals) do not show any constraint. In the search for plausible causes explaining the lower germination success in the smallest populations, ecological concerns and genetic isolation must be taken into account. Besides, in large-sized populations of Ch. uliginosus (> 250 plants) a higher incidence of predispersal seed predation was observed, maybe affecting their sexual reproductive response. Finally, smaller populations—presenting a reduced reproductive success—contain also the most evolutionary distant haplotypes, so their conservation should be a priority. ; [ES]Cheirolophus uliginosus es una especie amenazada endémica de la costa atlántica de la península ibérica, donde ocupa unas pocas y reducidas localidades. En nuestro estudio, analizamos los patrones de variación de los haplotipos de ADN cloroplástico y el éxito reproductivo —capacidad germinativa— en siete poblaciones portuguesas de diferente tamaño. El éxito reproductivo de Ch. uliginosus se ha examinado en relación con la estructura genética y el tamaño de sus poblaciones. Los resultados indican una variabilidad intrapoblacional muy baja para los marcadores cloroplásticos utilizados. Nuestro estudio muestra una tasa de germinación significativamente reducida en las poblaciones pequeñas ( 250 individuos). Para explicar este fenómeno, se deben tomar en consideración las limitaciones ecológicas y el aislamiento genético. Por otro lado, en las poblaciones de Ch. uliginosus de mayor tamaño (> 250 individuos) se ha observado una incidencia más acusada de la depredación de semillas antes de su dispersión, lo cual podría estar afectando a su respuesta reproductiva. Finalmente, las poblaciones más pequeñas —que presentan un reducido éxito reproductivo— contienen los haplotipos más distantes evolutivamente y su conservación debería ser, por tanto, prioritaria. ; This work has been supported by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (Spanish Government; projects CGL2010-22234-C02-01/BOS and CGL2010-22234-C02-02/BOS) and the Generalitat de Catalunya ("Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats" 2009SGR0439). ; Peer reviewed

8 p., tablas, fot. -- Post-print del artículo publicado en Tree Genetics and Genomes. Versión revisada y corregida. ; We carried out the first cytogenetic characterisation of Mediterranean species of Juniperus (Cupressaceae); to date, nuclear DNA amount and chromosome numbers were known, but a fine karyotype analysis had been only done in three eastern Asian taxa. We performed chromomycin A3 banding, for the first time in the family, and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) in order to detect 18S-5.8S-26S (also termed 35S and 45S) rRNA genes in five species of the genus, four diploid (Juniperus communis, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus phoenicea and Juniperus sabina) and the only Mediterranean one that is exclusively tetraploid (Juniperus thurifera). The results show a very homogeneous pattern, with one chromosome pair with chromomycin-positive bands at the secondary constrictions and colocalised 35S rDNA signals. In diploid species, this model agrees with that of the two Asian taxa previously investigated with FISH. In the tetraploid species, conversely, the results are different: in the Asian taxa, signal number and location are exactly double in tetraploid than in diploid taxa, whereas in our case, the tetraploid species bears the same number of signals (not twice) as diploid ones. This fact can be interpreted as accounting for the age of polyploidy in J. thurifera: after the polyploidisation event and the stabilisation of the doubled genome, there has been time left for genome rearrangements implying a loss of GC-rich chromatin and one of the rDNA loci; this argument is a support for the ancient and relict character attributed to this taxon. ; This work has been subsidised by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spanish government, Spain (projects CGL2010-22234-C02-01 and 02/BOS, CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P), Generalitat de Catalunya-Catalan government, Catalonia (2009/SGR/00439, 2014/SGR/514) and funds from CNRS and Université de Paris-Sud (Orsay). JV received a grant (2012BE100508) from AGAUR (Catalan government's agency for university and research grants) for a research stay in the Laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique, Evolution, Université Paris-Sud at Orsay, in the frame of a sabbatical semester attributed to him by the Universitat de Barcelona. ; Peer reviewed

6 pág., gráf., tablas -- Post-print del artículo publicado Caryologia. Versión revisada y corregida. ; This study contributes the first genome size data for wild populations of Cynara cardunculus, the presumed progenitor of artichoke and cultivated cardoon. C-values estimated by flow cytometry are 2C = 1.98–2.14(3.03) pg for wild cardoon (10 populations), 2C = 2.10–2.11 pg for cultivated cardoon (two accessions) and 2C = 2.05 pg for artichoke (one accession). Chromosome counting (carried out for all material except the artichoke) establishes diploidy in all accessions. In order to provide a phylogenetic framework for Tunisian populations, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was sequenced and analysed together with previously published Cynara sequences. The wild and crop cardoons present similar karyological features and genome sizes despite strong morphological differentiation, with the single exception of a Tunisian population (from Tajerouine), which exhibits a 42–53% higher genome size. Along with Sicilian individuals, Tunisian wild C. cardunculus appear genetically closer to artichoke and cardoon than to studied wild relatives from the remaining distribution. This highlights the crucial importance of taking into consideration the North African territory in deciphering the history of C. cardunculus crop domestication. ; This work was subsidised by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain (Project CGL2010-22234-C02-01 and 02/BOS) and Generalitat de Catalunya ("Ajuts a Grups de Recerca Consolidats"2009/SGR/00439). SK benefited from a grant from the Tunisian government and OH from a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain. ; Peer reviewed

Recent Quaternary geological and climate events have shaped the evolutionary histories of plant species in the Mediterranean basin, one of the most important hotspots of biodiversity. Genetic analyses of the western Mediterranean Cheirolophus intybaceus s.l. (Asteraceae) based on AFLP were conducted to establish the relationships between its close species and populations, to reconstruct the phylogeography of the group and to analyse potential unidirectional versus bidirectional dispersals between the Ibero-Proven̤al belt and the Balearic Islands. AFLP data revealed two main genetic groups, one constituted by the Balearic populations and Garraf (NE Iberia) and the other formed by the remaining mainland populations that were further sub-structured into two geographically separated subgroups (SE+E Iberia and NE Iberia+SW France). Genetic diversity and spatial structure analyses suggested a mid-Pleistocene scenario for the origin of C. intybaceus in southern Iberia, followed by dispersal to the north and a single colonisation event of the Balearic archipelago from the near Dianic NE Iberian area. This hypothesis was supported by paleogeographic data, which showed the existence of terrestrial connections between the continent and the islands during the Middle-Late Pleistocene marine regressions, whereas the more recent single back-colonisation of the mainland from Mallorca might be explained by several hypotheses, such as long-distance dispersal mediated by migratory marine birds or sea currents. ; This work was supported by MICINN РSpanish Government grant projects (CGL2007-64839-C02-01,CGL2010-22234-C02-01 and 200630I241 Intramural), the SGR (2009SGR439) Generalitat de Catalunya project and the Aragon Government Bioflora project, cofunded by the European FEDER programme ; Peer Reviewed

[Ethnopharmacological relevance] Most ethnobotanical research bases its analyses on individual taxa catalogues and their uses, rather than on mixtures. However, mixtures constitute an important chapter of our different lines of research and they represent a large volume of information. The relevance of these data in folk medicine could be explained as a response to the cure of multicausal etiology diseases or by a possible polyvalent effect of the mixture as opposed to the effect of each taxon alone. ; [Aims of the study] The main goals are: i) to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of these mixtures; ii) to carry out a comparison among the mixtures in two Catalan territories and their floristic composition; iii) to assess the worth of families association; and, iv) to evaluate whether the plants claimed to be used in mixtures have contraindications or possible negative interactions according to phytopharmaceutical literature. The ultimate goal is to test a protocol that can be implemented in similar studies. ; [Materials and methods] We have used data on medicinal plant mixtures obtained from two extensive ethnobotanical field studies carried out in two Catalan districts, Alt Empordà and Ripollès. The quantitative analyses by means of descriptive statistics were carried out with Excel. New contributions like the implementation of the Shannon index to quantify the diversity of families in plant combinations, the creation of a new index to calculate the taxon importance in mixtures, or the use of a social network analysis to study the connection between botanical families have been employed in this work. ; [Results] In total, a set of 484 mixtures from Alt Empordà and Ripollès (Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula) have been analysed: 462 for human use and 22 for veterinary. Thymus vulgaris and Rosmarinus officinalis are among the most commonly used species in mixtures. The aerial part of the plant is the most used, and the anticatarrhal usage is the most frequent in both territories. A wide diversity of families has been observed in mixtures and reflects a strong bond between the number of taxa and the number of families in each mixture, being almost equal to one. The Shannon diversity index applied to mixtures has the maximum value at 0.86. No exclusive plants are used in mixtures, as reflected on the index of taxon usefulness in mixtures (ITUM), proposed in the present work. The association of families is strong between Lamiaceae (12.12%) and Asteraceae with Lamiaceae (11.69%). Finally, the informant consensus factor (0.85) reflects the strong consistency of data reported by the interviewees. ; [Conclusions] The present analysis has confirmed that it is possible to study the data of plants in mixtures as thoroughly as when they are considered in isolation in an ethnofloristic catalogue, and maybe this kind of ethnobotanical investigation could be a first step for future pharmacological studies that may result in a relevant complement to the current phytotherapy market. ; This research was supported by projects 2014SGR00514 from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), PRO2017-S02-VALLES from the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC, Catalan Academy of Sciences and Humanities), and CSO2014-59704-P from the Spanish Government. A. Gras received a predoctoral grant of the Universitat de Barcelona (APIF 2015-2018). ; Peer reviewed

5 p., 1 tabla, 1 ilustración ; Peganum harmala is a halonitrophilous perennial herb that is relevant in the landscape of steppe, semidesert, and desert territories in southern Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. We present here data on the nuclear DNA amount assessment in one Iberian and 17 Tunisian populations of this species. The 2C values, belonging to the very small genome category, ranged from 0.61 to 0.67 pg. These data are the first on genome size for the species and for the whole genus and the whole family. In addition, the somatic chromosome number (2n = 24) has been counted in one population, confirming previous reports and constituting the first one in a Tunisian accession of the species. The results show a high degree of homogeneity of the character studied within the species. These new data, filling a gap in genome size knowledge at family level, together with the specific homogeneity in genome size in a large area, could be relevant for further large-reach analyses on genome size evolution. ; The financial support from the Catalan and Spanish governments for projects 2014SGR514 and CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P, respectively, is also acknowledged. ; Peer reviewed

Editors: Diego Muñoz-Torrero, M. Pilar Vinardell and Javier Palazón. ; Here we present an overview on the results of eight years of research line devoted to the organisation, expression and evolution of rRNA genes in plant genomes. We describe how we discovered a new rDNA arrangement in genus Artemisia, which includes all rRNA genes in a single unit (L-type). This was the first time that such organisation was found in seed plants. We further explored family Asteraceae in depth, to which Artemisia belongs, to find that the L-type arrangement may be present in about 25% of its species. Later on we move to gymnosperms to describe the landscape of rRNA arrangements in a representative sample of its diversity. We assess the expression rate of the L-type rRNA in several L-type species, which is comparable to that of species with separated arrangement of rRNA genes (S-type). Finally, we present the resource www.plantrdnadatabase.com which includes information on type of rDNA arrangement, number and position of rDNA loci in plants. ; This work was supported by Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness from the Government of Spain (CGL2010-22234-C02-01,02/BOS and CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P), the Generalitat de Catalunya, Government of Catalonia ("Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats", 2009SGR0439 and 2014SGR514) and the IRBio (Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona). SG benefited from a ―Ramón y Cajal‖ researcher contract of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness from the Government of Spain. ; Peer reviewed