Phylogeny and maternal donors of the tetraploid species with St genome (Poaceae: Triticeae) inferred from CoxII and ITS sequences

Abstract Mitochondrial Cox II and ITS sequences of 29 tetraploid species with St genome were compared with their related genera and species of Pseudoroegneria (Nevski) A. Love (St), Hordeum L. (H), Thinopyrum bessarabicum (Savul. & Rayss) A. Love (E b ), Lophopyrum elongatum (Host) A. Love (E e ), Agropyron Gaertner (P), Australopyrum (Tzvelev) Love (W) and Psathyrostachys Nevski (Ns). The results indicate that: (1) the maternal donors of North American and Eurasian StStHH tetraploid species may have acquired their St genome from distinct Pseudoroegneria gene pools, with Pse. spicata (Pursh) A. Love potentially the maternal donor of North American species; (2) Lophopyrum is the maternal donor of StStE e E e tetraploid species, hence, Pse. geniculata ssp. scythica (Nevski) A. Love, Elytrigia caespitosa (K. Koch) Nevski and El. caespitosa ssp. nodosa (Nevski) Tzvelev should be identified as species of Trichopyrum A. Love; (3) tetraploid species with the same maternal donors were more closely related to each other than those with different maternal donors.