Karyotype analysis and chromosome evolution in species of Lathyrus (Fabaceae)

Abstract

The karyotypes of 21 accessions of Lathyrus L. belonging to four sections were investigated. Although all the species have a chromosome number of 2n = 14, they could be differentiated by their karyotype formula and quantitative parameters of the karyotypes. Phenetic distance showed that in spite of the differences observed among entitied, they can be grouped in clusters that coincide with the taxonomic sections established by Kupicha and with the life cycle of the species. The section Clymenum can be distinguished by the presence of a subtelocentric pair. From an evolutionary point of view, variation in genome size, however, is congruent with morphological variation as well as with the life cycle.